Max Verstappen says he won’t pull his punches at the 2025 Spanish GP as he threatens to “make it three-wide” in Turn 1 as he fires a scary message to the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
The Australian and the Brit are the Dutchman’s two championship rivals in this 2025 Formula 1 season and have enjoyed a commanding MCL39 car compared to the inconsistent Red Bull RB21.
And with the pair ahead of him after locking out the front-row for Sunday’s race, the gap in the standings could be poised to grow by the time the chequered flag falls.
So the four-time champion is in a situation of limiting the damage and ensuring he maximises his points, which can include taking a big risk for the long run down to the first corners.
There is likely his best chance to make a move for the lead, and Verstappen knows it as he sends McLaren a scary message at the 2025 Spanish GP; warning them to watch their wing mirrors.
“I think it’s time to shine in Turn 1,” Verstappen told media, including Total-Motorsport.com. “Make it three-wide for the pictures. Why not?”
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He added of competing with McLaren: “I don’t know. Honestly, I think looking at pace, it will be tough. Like Oscar said, it’s not all about the start and Turn 1. “You need to be good on tyres. It’s a long race. A lot can happen.
“So, I’ll just try to maximise what I got.”
Is Verstappen quick enough to race McLaren at 2025 Spanish GP?
Qualifying is perhaps the weakest area of Verstappen’s driving ability, which is an astonishing thing to say about someone who has secured the fifth most pole positions in the history of the sport.
He is best known for his ruthless approach to racing his rivals, his almost-unmatched ability to nurse and massage the Pirelli tyres whilst also maintaining blistering speed when it comes to race pace.
So Sunday should shift the balance to his favour more than Saturday, but does he think he can fight the McLarens over the 66 laps at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 1?
“It’s going to be tough, I think,” Verstappen added. “My long run wasn’t bad, but if you look at the difference today, it will be tough to put up a really, really good fight.
“But that doesn’t mean that we’re not going try. So, we’ll see tomorrow.”
