Red Bull are notorious for putting immense pressure on their drivers and making mid-season changes. The 2025 campaign might be no different.
Max Verstappen is searching for his fifth consecutive title this season after beating Lando Norris to the 2024 championship by 63 points.
| Position | Drivers’ Championship | Points |
| 1 |
Max Verstappen |
437 |
| 2 |
Lando Norris |
374 |
| 3 |
Charles Leclerc |
356 |
| 4 |
Oscar Piastri |
292 |
| 5 |
Carlos Sainz Jr |
290 |
| 6 |
George Russell |
245 |
| 7 |
Lewis Hamilton |
223 |
| 8 |
Sergio Perez |
152 |
| 9 |
Fernando Alonso |
70 |
| 10 |
Pierre Gasly |
42 |
The Dutchman will face a fresh challenge on the other side of the garage from Liam Lawson. The Kiwi driver impressed the Red Bull hierarchy at Racing Bulls last year and will replace Sergio Perez.
Lawson got the promotion over teammate Yuki Tsunioda despite having significantly less experience. The Japanese now heads into his fifth season with the Faenza-based outfit.
Racing Bulls caught everyone’s attention with their striking new 2025 livery. Will Buxton lauded the ‘perfect’ design – but the team will hope the car is competitive after an inconsistent 2024 season.
Tsunoda will be partnered with Isack Hadjar this season after the Frenchman finished runner-up in F2 last year. While he will be excited to make his F1 debut, Hadjar could soon face the brutal nature of Red Bull’s operation.
Jaime Alguersuari warns Isack Hadjar he will receive ‘angry’ calls from Helmut Marko in 2025
The 20-year-old has a tough benchmark in 2025 in Tsunoda, who is well-established at Racing Bulls. F1 fans think Tsunoda will ‘smoke’ Hadjar this season – in reality, this is what he will be expected to do.
It will be a learning season for Hadjar in 2025, but he will be expected to deliver results by Red Bull. If he does not, he risks receiving the same treatment as the likes of Perez, Daniel Ricciardo and Nyck de Vries and losing his seat.
Jaime Alguersuari knows this first hand after he was dropped by Toro Rosso at the end of 2011. Speaking on The After Lap Podcast, the Spaniard warned Hadjar he will face the wrath of Helmut Marko if he is dominated by Tsunoda.
“The truth is that I know little. I know the system and the ecosystem well, Red Bull. But I know little about him as a person.
“And you already know how this goes; four or five bad races or that the other dominates you and you’re out.
“And I get the feeling that his node is very solid, very consistent, very calm. He knows what his job is, what his comfort zone is and I think that’s where the shots are going to go.
“We’re going to see a Helmut Marko who is angry with Hadjar and who calls him many times.”
Isack Hadjar is already under pressure before his F1 debut
Driving in the Red Bull set-up will put Hadjar under incredible pressure. The 800k-a-year driver knows he must perform in 2025 or risk being dropped.
Hadjar displayed ‘monstrous’ pace in a private test at Imola in the VCARB 02. The Frenchman will look to continue that momentum into pre-season testing and the first race of the season in Melbourne.
The 20-year-old does appear to have Marko on his side at Red Bull which, while crucial for his future, comes with extra pressure. Marko has labelled Hadjar a mini Alain Prost – comparing him to a four-time champion before his debut shows how high the bar is for the Frenchman to reach.
Hadjar may not survive Red Bull’s ‘savage’ environment in 2025 and could find himself out of F1 before the end of the year. Arvid Lindblad is being tipped for the future by the team after recently acquiring his FIA superlicense.
