Red Bull Racing, led by the formidable Max Verstappen, has dominated Formula 1 in recent years, with the Dutch driver clinching four consecutive Drivers’ Championships. However, as the 2025 season looms, the pressure is on for the team to maintain their edge over rising rivals like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. While Verstappen’s ability is unquestionable, Red Bull must make key adjustments to their car, the RB21, to stay competitive. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, has emphasized that a “wide working window” is crucial for Verstappen to defend his title in 2025.
Red Bull’s Mixed 2024 Campaign
The 2024 Formula 1 season saw Red Bull begin with dominance, as Verstappen secured victories in seven of the first 10 races. However, as the season progressed, McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes all began to close the gap, putting up fierce challenges to Red Bull’s supremacy. Despite McLaren’s resurgence and ultimately claiming the Constructors’ Championship for the first time since 1998, Verstappen managed to hold onto the Drivers’ Championship title.
By the end of the season, it was clear that Red Bull’s superiority in the early part of the season was tested. McLaren’s rise and a few slip-ups towards the end of the year indicated that the competition is catching up. With stable regulations for 2025, the title battle is expected to be much closer, and Red Bull knows they will need to improve to secure another championship for Verstappen.
Helmut Marko’s Insights on the RB21’s Weaknesses
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s key strategist and motorsport advisor, has highlighted one key issue: the car’s “working window,” particularly in relation to tyre management. Marko stressed that to keep Verstappen in the title fight, the RB21 needs to be more consistent and less “erratic” when small changes are made to the car setup.
The term “working window” refers to the range of conditions under which a car’s tyres perform optimally. According to Marko, Red Bull faced issues with the sensitivity of their car, especially when it came to adjusting setups or dealing with small temperature fluctuations. Tyre management was a significant challenge in 2024, and this problem hindered Red Bull’s ability to maintain their advantage throughout the season.
“Sometimes you completely lose the tyres after small temperature changes,” Marko explained to Kleine Zeitung, an Austrian publication. This issue became more apparent as McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes closed the gap, particularly in the second half of the season.
What’s Needed for the RB21 to Compete in 2025?
Looking ahead to 2025, Marko made it clear that a solution to the car’s erratic behaviour would be vital. He emphasized that the team needs to create a car with a “wide working window” to avoid being caught out by small temperature changes or slight adjustments in setup. If Red Bull can address this issue, Marko is confident that Verstappen will be able to take care of the rest.
“Ferrari and McLaren were clearly the strongest teams in the second half of 2024, so we have to find a car that has a wide working window and doesn’t react so erratically to the smallest changes,” Marko continued. “If we can do that halfway, we’ll automatically be back in contention for the World Championship thanks to the Max factor.”
This insight highlights the importance of stability and adaptability in the upcoming RB21. The team needs a car that can respond consistently across a wide range of conditions to stay competitive against rivals who have improved significantly.
Verstappen’s Thoughts on the 2025 Season
Max Verstappen himself acknowledged that Red Bull will not enter 2025 as clear favourites, despite their dominance in recent years. While he is confident in his ability to extract maximum performance from the car, Verstappen is keenly aware of the issues the team faced with the RB20 in 2024. These problems, particularly with the balance of the car, made it difficult to find the right setup.
“I know that if we fix our problems, we will pick up a lot of lap time, but it’s about fixing those problems,” Verstappen said in an interview with media outlets, including PlanetF1.com in Abu Dhabi. “Our balance shift that we have makes it very difficult to find a good compromise with the tools that you have in the car. So we need to work on that for next year.”
For Verstappen, addressing the car’s balance issues and improving the overall setup flexibility is a priority for the 2025 season. If Red Bull can fix these issues, he believes they will have a car that can compete at the highest level.
The Red Bull-McLaren Rivalry: A Growing Threat
One of the major challenges Red Bull faces in 2025 is the rise of McLaren. After a dramatic improvement in performance throughout 2024, McLaren’s Piastri and Norris became formidable threats. Their car’s pace, combined with a fresh design, has given Red Bull a wake-up call, and McLaren’s success in the Constructors’ Championship serves as a reminder of how quickly the competition can catch up.
While Red Bull’s focus remains on improving the RB21 for Verstappen’s fifth consecutive title, the presence of McLaren and Ferrari means that Verstappen will have to continue to perform at his best to secure another championship.
Conclusion: The Max Verstappen Factor
For Red Bull to remain at the top of Formula 1 in 2025, the RB21 must address its key weaknesses, particularly its “working window” when it comes to tyre management and car setup. With the competition from McLaren and Ferrari growing stronger, the team’s ability to adapt their car to changing conditions will be critical in ensuring that Verstappen remains in title contention. If Red Bull can fix their issues, the “Max factor” will likely put them back on top, but the challenge will be significant.
In the end, it all comes down to whether Red Bull can perfect the RB21 and give Verstappen the tools he needs to continue his dominance in Formula 1.
