Racing Bulls burst out of the blocks with a very quick car over one lap at the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season.
However, in race trim, they have struggled to collect points. Visa Cash App Racing Bulls haven’t been helped by a turbulent driver situation either.
Most teams are aware that the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is a critical part of the season for many, with big upgrades set to be introduced.
Both Liam Lawson and Isack Hadjar are set to benefit from what looks to be some significant changes from the outside of the car.
Lawson admitted ‘shocking’ results at Racing Bulls amid a failure to adjust properly to his old team since being dropped by Red Bull.
However, on a positive note, Red Bull are still happy with Lawson despite not scoring any points yet this season.
READ MORE: Christian Horner pinpoints the moment ‘everybody noticed’ Liam Lawson had to be replaced at Red Bull
Laurent Mekies admits Racing Bulls have learned ‘hard’ Daniel Ricciardo lesson after 2024
After learning a hard lesson with some over-ambitious upgrades which didn’t produce the desired performance in 2024, Racing Bulls have changed their approach this year.
Team boss Laurent Mekies admitted to Autosport that they are hoping to take a small step with their Imola developments.
“If you judge an update by the volume of the parts, it’s a lot of data, but the reality is very different. The reality that is a small step.
“We have learned the hard way last year that these cars are very easy to break in terms of development and in terms of aerodynamic performance, and the relation between aerodynamic and vehicle dynamics or handling. So, we are very, very cautious with the way we are upgrading the car.”
Daniel Ricciardo suffered at the hands of a poorly developed car in 2024, and it may have been part of the reason for his poor performance and subsequent sacking.
If they had adopted a more conservative approach like they have this year, he may have been around to drive the car still.
READ MORE: Laurent Mekies praises the ‘extraordinary’ impact Isack Hadjar is already having behind the scenes at Racing Bulls
How Daniel Ricciardo struggled to get ‘comfortable’ with Racing Bulls’ 2024 F1 car
Racing Bulls bringing a smaller upgrade makes life a lot easier when it comes to tracing back errors made in their developments.
They will be able to hand select what truly makes the car easier to drive, extracting more pace from the machine for their drivers.
Coincidentally, Ricciardo’s struggles last year were borne through a lack of fusion with their chassis. Both before and after the upgrades they failed to improve the situation.
“The truth is that we need to give him a car that he’s more comfortable with,” Mekies told Motorsport.com at the 2024 Australian Grand Prix.
“Yuki had a car that he was very comfortable with from FP1. We probably reached that stage only in qualifying with Daniel, and from there you need to build.”
