Red Bull are chasing McLaren in a bid for Max Verstappen to become just the second driver in Formula 1 history to win five consecutive titles.
Verstappen trails drivers’ championship leader Lando Norris by just one point following a turbulent start to the season.
He claimed a surprise victory at the Japanese Grand Prix, two weeks on from looking completely uncompetitive in Shanghai.
It’s clear that Red Bull’s car is a nightmare to drive, hence why they have burned through three drivers in the last four races.
Despite their struggles at some circuits, Red Bull refuse to make one Verstappen ‘sacrifice’ in order to give him a more balanced car.
Verstappen will be worried by experts’ McLaren prediction with the Woking-based outfit expected to have a greater advantage during upcoming races in warmer conditions, starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix.
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Red Bull will discover whether 2025 F1 car has taken a ‘leap’ at the Bahrain Grand Prix
While there are 21 races to go in the current Formula 1 season, the development war is already underway and teams are plotting their next moves right this second.
Red Bull have one major concern which may play havoc with their plans for the year, with a lack of correlation between their simulator and their car on track.
Riccardo Ceccarelli expects the team to find out whether they have made a true ‘leap’ in performance at the upcoming Bahrain event – a representative venue considering the sort’s testing exploits.
“Now it is more difficult to say who is the favourite between Norris leaving the unknown, Verstappen the unknown, Red Bull the value of the car,” he said.
“Maybe we will find out in Bahrain that Red Bull has made a leap in quality and therefore it has levelled out with McLaren.”
READ MORE: Red Bull set date for major update Max Verstappen is ‘craving’, Japanese Grand Prix changes were just the start
Red Bull may have promoted Yuki Tsunoda for Max Verstappen’s benefit
Although Yuki Tsunoda wasn’t stunning during his home debut for Red Bull at Suzuka, he is going to get more time to prove himself.
One of his most valuable assets is his experience, which could be vital in developing both current and future cars.
With the 2026 F1 regulations around the corner, Tsunoda should be able to assist the team in forming a more stable car which both drivers can extract performance from.
Tsunoda may have been promoted by Red Bull for 2026 as they embark on a new journey, building their own powertrains.
They’re going to need all the help they can get if they have serious ambitions of competing against the might of Mercedes and Ferrari.
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