McLaren driver Lando Norris has backed one of Red Bull’s F1 rivals to challenge for victory at the Australian Grand Prix.
Red Bull have scored one-two finishes at the first two rounds of the season, with Max Verstappen leading home Sergio Perez.
But speaking to the assembled media including the official F1 website on Thursday, Norris predicted that they would face a greater threat this weekend.
The gap between Verstappen and nearest non-Red Bull challenger Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia was just under 19 seconds.
Leclerc had started on the front row alongside the Dutchman but lost a position to Perez early in the race.
Verstappen and Red Bull were even more dominant at the season opener in Bahrain, finishing 25 seconds clear of third-place Carlos Sainz.
However, Leclerc had set the fastest time in qualifying, albeit in Q2 rather than in the decisive top-ten shoot-out.
Red Bull’s ominous start has raised fears that they could complete a clean sweep of victories this year.
They were only one race shy of doing so last year, with Sainz denying them by winning the Singapore Grand Prix.
Lando Norris backs Ferrari to challenge Red Bull for Australian GP win
Norris reckons McLaren, who currently third in the constructors’ standings on 28 points, should be in a stronger position in Melbourne.
He says they enter the weekend with a greater understanding of their car.
However, he named Ferrari as the team he believes can fight Red Bull for victory at Albert Park.
The suggestion is that the SF-24 can be particularly competitive at this circuit.
“I think we’ve understood a couple of things, the learning will be useful for this weekend,” he said.
“Nothing that is going to set the world alight, but I think we are in a decent position.
“It’s going to be very close, it’s going to be close all season.
“This is a track where Ferrari can be competitive against Red Bull. It’s going to be an exciting qualifying and race for everyone.”
Leclerc claimed a ‘grand slam’ victory at this event in 2022, taking pole position, winning the race and setting the fastest lap.
Last year, he qualified second behind Verstappen before dropping to sixth on race day.
Can Ferrari really win in Australia?
Leclerc has already warned Red Bull that it’s a ‘matter of time’ before Ferrari put them under pressure.
Meanwhile, team principal Fred Vasseur has expressed his confidence that the Scuderia can fight for multiple race wins this year.
However, it would still be a surprise if they were able to rival the Bulls this early in the calendar.
The Prancing Horse may instead have been pinning their hopes on an ‘extreme’ upgrade set to arrive at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in May.
Still, Verstappen predicted that he would only win half of this year’s 24 races.
While that may be a conservative estimate, it could also reflect the challenge of building a car that can thrive at every single circuit.
Ferrari are clearly the second-fastest team on the grid right now, with last year’s runners-up Mercedes struggling.
The Silver Arrows are investigating ‘fundamental’ design issues on their car after struggling mightily through the high-speed corners in Jeddah.
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