Pre-season testing in Bahrain is well underway. After three sessions – two morning and one afternoon – there are more questions than answers at Red Bull.
The Milton Keynes-based outfit have left fans and pundits confused by the RB21, with the car – from the outside at least – sporting very few changes to its predecessors.
Red Bull fans felt their time was wasted by the team’s launch of the 2025 challenger as they obscured any details of the car. Fans of the Milton Keynes-based outfit will hope the RB21 will return the team to the top of the constructors’ standings after finishing third in 2024.
Max Verstappen comes into 2025 as the reigning four-time champion and is searching for his fifth consecutive title. However, the Dutchman will not have it easy with McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes making huge strides forward – arguably having stronger packages.
While lap times in pre-season in Bahrain are not much to go off, Red Bull’s outings so far have left something to be desired.
Karun Chandhok says Red Bull’s 2025 car ‘didn’t look particularly easy to drive’ in Bahrain
Liam Lawson spun in the morning session at turn three after hitting the curb at turn two and losing the back end. Christian Horner says Lawson caught a gust of wind, with the weather conditions being quite unusual in Bahrain.
Red Bull will ‘absolutely hate’ Lawson’s spin as rival teams can see how their airflow works on the sidepod. Verstappen took the RB21 in the afternoon and completed 74 laps, finishing the day third behind Lando Norris and George Russell.
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Lawson will test the car for the entirety of day two with his teammate finishing testing on Friday. Concerningly, the Kiwi driver only completed 28 laps in the four-hour morning session on Thursday.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the session, Karun Chandhok noted that the RB21 did not look ‘particularly quick at any point.’ He also felt that even with Verstappen in the car, it ‘didn’t look particularly easy to drive’ – a major concern for the defending champion as his rivals had much smoother outings.
“The Red Bull’s got to be the other story hasn’t it Crofty in the morning? Only 28 laps, not looking particularly quick at any point,” said Chandhok.
“And the car didn’t look easy to drive yesterday. We saw Lawson have a little spin. Even when Max was there, the lap time was there but everything I saw was little bits, just Red Bull didn’t look particularly easy to drive.”
Ted Kravitz provides theory on Max Verstappen’s reaction to F1 75 fan boos
Verstappen comes into this season off the back of a negative reaction at the F1 75 launch event. The Dutchman and Red Bull boss Christian Horner were booed by the crowd as the team unveiled their 2025 livery.
Verstappen has been known to have a dislike for the ‘show’ of F1, with this event in particular being a huge spectacle. David Croft noted Verstappen did not seem ‘full of joy’ before the event.
Red Bull skipped interviews on stage – a wise decision given the boos from fans at the O2 Arena. The FIA condemned fans’ treatment of Red Bull at F1 75 – despite themselves receiving a negative reaction.
Ted Kravitz says adversity will motivate Verstappen in 2025 but if his car proves tricky to handle come the season opener in Melbourne. that motivation may quickly diminish.
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