Max Verstappen appears to have entered damage limitation mode again at the beginning of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
Last year, Red Bull lost their grasp on the constructors’ championship as their car fell back behind McLaren and Ferrari in the pecking order.
The early domination displayed by Max Verstappen gave him a headstart in the standings but he had to be at his best throughout 2024 to fend off Lando Norris.
Verstappen’s driving tactics weren’t always popular but he typically stayed just on the right side of the line to avoid being penalised too often.
The Dutchman hoped that the winter break would help Red Bull solve the issues they faced last season.
However, that doesn’t appear to be the case with McLaren taking another big step forward and Verstappen is now putting pressure on the team to find a solution as quickly as possible.
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Max Verstappen ‘internally’ wants Red Bull to solve tyre management issues
Journalist Ralf Bach was speaking on F1 Insider’s YouTube channel and said regarding Red Bull’s latest issues: “The first explanation I can give is that he is always happy when he can say he got the maximum out of himself.
“His maximum was actually third place, he knew he couldn’t beat the McLaren on his own but because Piastri made the mistake, he actually scored three points more than he thought, so he’s frustrated maybe the three points he scored more than expected today played a role.
“But internally I know that he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself and saying friends, we need new parts, we have to solve the problem that we have with the tyre management as quickly as possible.
“And it wouldn’t be bad if we have a car that is still a bit more predictable to drive up front – these are the tasks he has set his team.
“That new parts should come not yet in China, but as Marko said at the earliest in the third race at the latest fifth.
“Max just has to see that he gets the maximum out of it like today or maybe has a bit of luck from the mistakes of the others and therefore does not let the gap become so big, but Red Bull has to perform clearly, not just Max Verstappen.”
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Max Verstappen’s Australian Grand Prix pace highlights Red Bull issue
Team principal Christian Horner has identified Red Bull’s first step to improving the car but how long that will take to fix is yet to be seen.
Helmut Marko believes Red Bull can be competitive again in three to five races, but soon enough the team will want to shift their focus completely towards 2026 and the introduction of the new regulations.
Verstappen did brilliantly to overtake Oscar Piastri on the opening lap but a rare error saw him lose P2.
Onboard for the first few moments of the Grand Prix 👀#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/yT8TxdjJTL
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 17, 2025
The gap the Australian was then able to open up to Verstappen would have frightened many people in the Red Bull garage, as he and Norris nearly had a full pit stop between themselves and the Dutchman.
Red Bull experimented with Liam Lawson’s car which ended very badly but highlighted his role within the team perfectly as a support to Verstappen.
The four-time world champion has exceedingly high standards and will know he can’t let Norris open up too great a lead before Red Bull deliver any upgrades.
The new FIA rules on rear wing flexibility could benefit Red Bull but it remains to be seen whether they may also be penalised by the change.
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