"We still have work to do," admits Max Verstappen as he tips McLaren for success in the season opener.

For the last two years, the Dutchman has won the season opener, going on to win 11 of the next 13 races in 2023 and six of the next nine in 2024.

Following a tough pre-season test in which his team completed the least laps, and his teammate carried out the Austrian outfit's only race sim, his times almost a second off Lando Norris' pace, Verstappen isn't expecting to be standing on the top step of the podium next weekend.

"At the moment only one, and that team is orange," he replied when asked which team is looking good for Melbourne. "That's a very nice colour of course, but from our side, we still have work to do.

"Other teams want to see some improvements as well," he continued, "but I think at the moment one team is clearly in front.

"If you look at the lap times, then I think McLaren is the favourite. On our side, not everything went completely smoothly, but on the other hand we have some ideas on how to improve."

The three-day test suggested that the RB21 suffers from understeer in slow corners and oversteer in the high-speed sections, as was the case with its predecessor.

"In terms of balance, it does feel a bit more connected when entering the corners and also in the middle of the corners," said Verstappen, who insisted that the RB21 "can't be worse than last year.

"But on the other hand, there are still problems with the kerbs and with the bumps.

"Those things are obviously not our strongest points, and I keep mentioning that. It doesn't always have to be said to the outside world, but during the meetings we obviously talk a lot about it."

"If you look at the test results, McLaren already has a head start," agreed Helmut Marko, speaking to Sport.de. "That was the case in both the short and long runs. The current favourite is clearly McLaren."

Last year, certainly in the later stages, it was Verstappen's dogged brilliance that made the difference as McLaren and Ferrari reeled in the clearly struggling team.

With that in mind, his father has sent out a clear message that his son is not prepared to sit back and watch his rivals battle for the 2025 title and beyond.

"That had been decided for a long time," Jos Verstappen told Radio Joe, when asked about the contract that his son has with the team until 2028. "We have confidence in the team and we give them our trust, but it won't be Max's fault if things don't go well. They must continue to perform. They need to keep building a good car, that's important."