Red Bull didn’t create any headlines during Formula 1’s pre-season test in Bahrain, but there are some worrying signs for them ahead of the 2025 campaign.
A late upgrade saw Max Verstappen benefit from some new parts on the final day, but they weren’t enough for him to go quicker than the Mercedes of George Russell.
On paper, it looks as if Red Bull could genuinely be the fourth-fastest team currently, which is a worrying sign heading into the Australian Grand Prix.
They completed the fewest laps of any team (304) and Pierre Wache mentioned that the car didn’t quite respond how they would have liked it to at times.
Verstappen will be difficult at Red Bull in 2025 believes Guenther Steiner, who expects the reigning champion to grow frustrated if their car cannot compete for victories.
On the evidence of testing, it’s a surprise that Helmut Marko thinks Red Bull can win a title and suggests that there may be more to come from them in terms of extracting potential from the RB21.
Bernie Collins expects Red Bull ‘investigation’ after F1 testing in Bahrain
Red Bull made a ‘very drastic’ change to Verstappen’s car after realising there may be more potential in the floor of the car.
Across the three days of testing, they spent a lot of time checking and looking over the area of the car that had seen alterations.
Liam Lawson wasn’t too comfortable in his new cockpit, and only managed to set the 11th fastest time of the 20 drivers in Bahrain.
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Bernie Collins thinks that their performance may prompt an ‘investigation’ as they search for more pace ahead of the season-opener.
“I sense they are not totally comfortable with the car,” she wrote on Sky Sports. “There were changes to the bodywork and I get the impression there is a lot of investigation.
“Verstappen showed a strong lap at the end, but it wasn’t as quick as Russell or the pace on Thursday, he didn’t get a proper race simulation in, so some work to do but I’m sure they will sort it out.”
Why Max Verstappen’s first push lap of 2025 F1 testing was ‘crucial’ for Red Bull
Hunting a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship in 2025, Verstappen has the opportunity to become just the second driver in history to achieve such a feat.
This year, he may face his biggest challenge yet though. Testing suggests his new car may be the weakest of any he has had this decade.
Verstappen’s first push lap was ‘crucial’ for Red Bull at testing because there was plenty of anticipation about the work the team had done over the winter.
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With just over one week to go until the season-opener in Melbourne, they will be hard at work trying to tinker with potential setups and parts of the car that didn’t perform as expected.
Regardless, Verstappen is usually always in the fight even if his car isn’t up to scratch, so expect much of the same from him in 2025.
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