Former F1 driver Christian Klien has weighed in on the F1 pecking order ahead of the new campaign that gets underway next week.
McLaren enter the 2025 season looking to defend its constructors’ championship while Max Verstappen targets his fifth consecutive drivers’ title.
The year ahead is predicted to be a highly competitive affair with several teams in contention for victories in the final year of the current regulation cycle.
But following the pre-season test from Bahrain last month, Klien sees McLaren as the favourite head into the opening round from Australia.
“Looking back at the winter test in Bahrain, I actually think it is close again, as we saw at the end of the last F1 season,” Klien exclusively told RacingNews365.
“Four teams are competing for victories, but McLaren stands out just a little bit. In Bahrain, both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were fast, especially in the long runs.
“So they are the favourites for me for this season, especially since Bahrain is normally a difficult circuit for McLaren.
“This time, however, the car seemed to fit there perfectly. So last winter McLaren took another step forward.”
Red Bull has ‘more options’ with new F1 car
Red Bull has re-jigged its driver line-up for the year ahead, signing Liam Lawson to partner Verstappen after it parted ways with Sergio Perez.
Klien has backed Verstappen to make the difference for Red Bull in a close fight this season.
“Behind the McLarens is Red Bull, or rather one Red Bull car driven by Verstappen,” Klien said.
“He brings, with his abilities, just a little more to the car. After that, Mercedes and Ferrari follow. Still, it will be different every race weekend, as we saw last season.
“It is all so close together, it could look different every weekend because of the different characteristics of circuits and the weather.
“Indeed, every session is incredibly important to get the car in the right ‘window’ as well as possible.”
Red Bull ran into difficulties with its RB20 car last year as the drivers struggled to find a comfortable balance – but Klien is confident the team has ironed out its issues.
“In my opinion, Red Bull did make sure with the current car that they have a bit more options in terms of setup,” he stated.
“The car seems to be a little less nervous and there seems to be a wider window in which to operate.
“They will, like the other teams, be bringing some updates to Australia.”
