Marko states that Norris is "much better" than Piastri in the F1 test.

      Dr. Helmut Marko indicates that Red Bull is not excessively concerned, even though he acknowledges that McLaren is clearly the favorite heading into the 2025 season. At 81, Marko shared a more optimistic view of Red Bull's advancements over the winter during last week's pre-season test in Bahrain. However, he has now stated to RTL in Germany: "McLaren is clearly the current favorite.

      "I believe it will be a contest among McLaren, Mercedes, Ferrari, and us," he continued. "Looking at the test results, McLaren already has an advantage. This was evident in both the short and long runs." Nonetheless, Marko maintains that Red Bull is neither panicking nor "disappointed" with its new car.

      "We have made progress, but we are two to three tenths behind in the long runs. There’s no need to worry yet, although it would have been nice if our developments and innovations had been immediately effective. We have made a step forward - McLaren just happens to be the favorite right now," Marko noted. "Max (Verstappen) didn’t do a long run on Friday, and on Wednesday we were pretty much at the same level as McLaren in that regard. I would estimate that the deficit was about two tenths on Friday, as McLaren's tire degradation was also significantly better."

      While McLaren is the favorite, Marko also recognizes the clear hierarchy within the team based in Woking. "One must admit that Lando Norris is the favorite. He clearly looked superior to (Oscar) Piastri in Bahrain. The key factor is that they can score points off each other, allowing us to benefit from that."

      Indeed, McLaren is entering another season asserting that both Norris and Piastri will be given the chance to compete for the drivers' title. "For us, Max is the clear number one, but I don’t think Piastri will agree to be the number two," Marko remarked. "This was already noticeable last season - on certain tracks, he was on par with, if not quicker than Lando.

      "The advantage for McLaren is that they again have a car that performs very well on any type of tire."