In the rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren, Max Verstappen humorously suggests he has insider news from fellow Dutchman Nyck De Vries after his Formula 1 test with Team Papaya.
As Formula 1 prepares for the 2025 season, the rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren continues to intensify, and Max Verstappen is not missing an opportunity to keep the pun going. The four-time world champion, who narrowly beat McLaren's Lando Norris for the 2024 driver's title, joked about receiving a “full report” from compatriot Nyck De Vries after the Formula E star recently tested one of McLaren's former F1 cars.
De Vries rejoins McLaren
Former Formula 2 and Formula E champion Nyck De Vries tested for McLaren after the team won its first Constructors' title in 26 years. The Dutchman, who had a brief stint with AlphaTauri in 2023, now competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Toyota, but his technical expertise and adaptability continue to attract attention in motorsport circles .
“He’s a great driver,” Verstappen told RacingNews365. “He is also very strong technically. He really likes to analyze everything in the car.”
Verstappen expressed his support for De Vries' opportunity with McLaren, highlighting the Dutch driver's affinity for Formula 1. “It's good for [De Vries]. He loves Formula 1, and he’s honestly great at that sort of thing.”
Verstappen keeps it light—but professional
Given the fierce rivalry between Red Bull and McLaren, Verstappen couldn't help but joke that De Vries could feed him information. “He's going to send me a full report on what's going on,” Verstappen joked, before clarifying, “No, of course not. We always keep it very professional. It's his job. I'm not here to try to steal information. I don’t want to put him in that position anyway.”
Red Bull's struggles and McLaren's return
The light-hearted exchange comes as Verstappen and Red Bull aim to bounce back from a difficult 2024 season. Development difficulties left the RB20 lagging behind McLaren's MCL38, with Verstappen enduring a rare run of 10 races without a victory between his successes at the Spanish and Sao Paulo Grands Prix.
Meanwhile, McLaren's dominant second half of the season propelled Lando Norris into a title fight, although Verstappen ultimately prevailed. McLaren, however, won the Constructors' title, marking a seismic shift in the balance of power between the two teams.
The “what if” debate
Verstappen further fueled the debate with comments to The Telegraphsuggesting he would have secured the 2024 championship “much sooner” if he had driven McLaren's MCL38.
Norris, never one to back down, hit back ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix. “He should start doing comedy or something,” Norris said with a laugh. “He can say whatever he wants. Of course, I completely disagree, as I would. He’s good, but, yeah, that’s not true.”
Perspectives 2025: McLaren and favoris
With McLaren's performance in 2024 cementing them as the team to beat, they head into 2025 as early favorites for both titles. Red Bull, meanwhile, faces a crucial offseason as it works to close the gap.
Whether it's Verstappen's jokes or McLaren's performance dominating the narrative this season, one thing is clear: the Verstappen-Norris rivalry is shaping up to be one of the most gripping storylines in Formula 1 in 2025.
