Red Bull is glad to be 'not far' off the pace.

      Dr. Helmut Marko appeared relieved as practice commenced in Melbourne. While Lando Norris, the early favorite for the championship, led the timesheets, there seems to be the promise of a very close contest for the 2025 season. "The results are really tight," Marko remarked to ORF. "Thankfully, we are not too far off. The four strongest teams—McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, and us—are very close, and the four tenths that Max (Verstappen) lost is not representative. It’s going to be an exciting event, and it’s all about fine-tuning."

      Marko's remarks come after top McLaren driver Norris downplayed his position as the clear favorite for the world championship this year. Mercedes driver George Russell earlier stated, "Let’s not deceive ourselves—McLaren are undoubtedly the clear favorites at the moment. They appeared absolutely dominant during testing, and I’m certain they are the ones we must beat."

      Many observers pointed to Norris' impressive long run pace in Bahrain, although he mentioned, "Oscar (Piastri) had a run the following day that was much slower. Not because he performed worse, but simply due to the significantly slower conditions on the last day. I’m quite surprised that so many people are being so shortsighted—especially those I wouldn’t expect it from. I suppose everyone wants to play the underdog. I know how much fuel and various resources Ferrari used throughout many of the tests. I think people will be surprised by how fast they’ll be this weekend," Norris added.

      Indeed, Charles Leclerc topped the second session, placing ahead of the McLarens, while Verstappen’s gap to the leader increased to six tenths. Alpine advisor Flavio Briatore believes that Red Bull and Verstappen's dominance is now "over." However, he told Corriere della Sera newspaper, "It was astounding how Max won last year even when the car wasn’t competitive. He can perform magic—works of art. He can do anything."

      As for Marko, he cautioned that Red Bull made advancements with the car between the conclusion of the Bahrain test and Melbourne. "There was concern when we realized we weren’t at McLaren's level," he told Krone newspaper. "And when the new components that arrived on the last day only worked partially. But afterward, Max spent considerable time on the simulator and gained valuable insights."

      Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented to Sky Deutschland after Friday’s two sessions, "My initial assessment is that Norris and (Oscar) Piastri will be ahead on one lap."