Max: Red Bull 'not quickest'

Max Verstappen (above) said yesterday that Red Bull were "not the quickest at the moment" ahead of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but warned it could change as the campaign progresses.

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The Dutchman claimed his fourth straight world title in Las Vegas in November with two races to spare.

The 27-year-old is now bidding to join an even more exclusive club with only Michael Schumacher winning five championships in a row.

But while he won the 2024 title by 63 points from Lando Norris, he needed to overcome a mid-season run of 10 races without a win as the McLaren star pushed him hard.

McLaren and its drivers, Norris and Oscar Piastri, are seen as an even bigger threat this year, with Verstappen failing to set the fastest time of any of the winter test days in Bahrain.