Norris comments on the Mini-DRS restrictions regarding "other teams."

      According to Mercedes' George Russell, McLaren "could win every race in 2025." Despite Max Verstappen finishing closely behind championship leader Lando Norris in Melbourne, some have estimated McLaren's advantage in tyre degradation on a drier track to be as much as a full second per lap. Russell believes that McLaren's current edge is "greater than what Red Bull has ever had."

      Norris' teammate, Oscar Piastri, responded: "I have to say, George has been saying some amusing things lately. But he can disregard the season if he wishes." However, Norris is already feeling the pressure of his new role as the championship leader and favorite, as Verstappen laughed off the Briton's assertion that the 2025 McLaren is quite challenging to drive. "Are you sure he wasn’t joking?" the Red Bull driver chuckled.

      Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc remarked that while Ferrari did not perform well in Melbourne, "we’re still a long way behind McLaren." Nevertheless, some are questioning whether McLaren will face setbacks due to the FIA’s sudden new tests for rear wing flexibility in Shanghai, which aim to address the clever 'mini-DRS' openings. "Nope," Norris maintained. "We don’t need to change anything. It’s not aimed at us - it seems directed at other teams."

      Indeed, the flexibility of Ferrari, Alpine, and Haas cars is also under FIA scrutiny. Currently, McLaren is leading in Shanghai, with Red Bull's Christian Horner estimating their early advantage at "a few tenths at least." Nonetheless, Norris is rejecting the idea that he is the clear favorite to secure his first title in 2025. "I had one good weekend," he said. "People need to take a step back."

      Meanwhile, Red Bull responded to Lewis Hamilton’s attempt to downplay his radio tensions with new race engineer Riccardo Adami in Melbourne, arguing it is insignificant compared to the "abuse" Verstappen often directs at Gianpiero Lambiase. "You never write about that, but you do report on the smallest issues I’ve had with mine," stated the Ferrari driver. Red Bull countered by sharing a montage of happy moments between Verstappen and 'GP', with Ralf Schumacher noting that Charles Leclerc was also "quite rude" to his own Ferrari engineer in Australia. "If I were the team boss," Schumacher commented, "I would bring both of them into my office and give them both a slap on the wrist."