Red Bull have started the 2025 season on the back foot, having only won one race in the first five.
Max Verstappen won convincingly in Japan when he led the field from pole, but the last few races have been a struggle for the Dutchman compared to previous seasons.
The Dutchman was at the center of controversy in Saudi Arabia having started from pole, but took to the escape road while duelling Oscar Piastri for the lead at Turn 1.
Helmut Marko was unhappy that Verstappen was penalised for doing something that drivers in the F2 support race got away with, while F1 fans did not buy Christian Horner’s defence when speaking to media after the race.
Verstappen’s problems have been compared to Ayrton Senna, as he struggles to get to grips with the RB21’s tendencies, but that might change in the upcoming races according to F1 techncial expert Matt Somerfield on the Missed Apex podcast.
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Red Bull has exciting upgrade on the way for Max Verstappen
Verstappen is doing well to extract the most out of a car that is currently the third-best in the field behind McLaren and Mercedes, while Ferrari is also not far off them in terms of pace.
Red Bull usually brings upgrades in time for the European races and Somerfield expects them to deliver something that will improve things for Verstappen.
“He’s essentially piecing things together and making mental notes. This works here, that works there. With the RB21 and the current characteristics they have at their disposal, that is where Max finds himself in terms of being able to drive that car and trying to find the best from it,” said Somerfield.
“Max is probably more than well aware that they have a big update package on the way, so that will help out as he heads into the rest of the season and Red Bull try to catch up to McLaren.”
Max Verstappen could be impacted by Spanish GP rule change
While Verstappen is likely banking on Red Bull producing upgrades for him, an upcoming rule change set for the Spanish GP could impact him.
The FIA is clamping down on flexible front wings at Barcelona, introducing more stringent tests that prevent teams from exploiting the current rules.
Stringent load tests were introduced for rear wings at the start of the season, and will be implemented for front wings after complaints from teams that their rivals were pushing the limits.
McLaren was found to be using a flexible rear wing at last years Azerbaijan GP, and now Verstappen and Lando Norris could be impacted by the front wing clampdown.
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