Red Bull have already done something ‘very handsome’ behind the scenes before Max Verstappen title defence

Red Bull’s rivals will be looking to find a way to beat Max Verstappen in 2025 after he claimed his fourth consecutive title this season.

The Dutchman continued his dominance from 2023 into the start of the 2024 season by winning seven of the opening 10 races. But after his victory in Barcelona, he would not win again for another 10 races as Red Bull suffered a drop in performance.

But despite the RB20 becoming a difficult car to drive and maximise the best results out of, the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes failed to take advantage as Verstappen was still able to get his car into the best position possible to maintain his lead in the Driver’s Championship.

McLaren were Red Bull’s closest rivals for the title as the MCL38 quickly became the fastest car on the track. But Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri made too many mistakes to show the car’s real pace according to Red Bull sim driver Rudy van Buren as Verstappen beat Norris by 63 points to the title.

The Dutchman’s incredible win from P17 at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix all but put the title out of reach, sealing the deal in Las Vegas. But while he did claim the championship, Red Bull’s slump in their development was clear to see – evidenced by them finishing third in the Constructors’ Championship behind McLaren and Ferrari.

And as they head into 2025 not having the fastest car on the grid, there will be huge concerns surrounding Red Bull and their performance across a full season with their current package.

Red Bull have already built a ‘very handsome’ engineering department after Adrian Newey’s exit

One of the key reasons for the RB20’s sudden dip in performance was the departure of legendary designer Adrian Newey, who confirmed his exit earlier in the year. The 66-year-old will join Aston Martin in the second quarter of 2025.

The Brit’s exit hit the Milton Keynes-based outfit hard and it would spark the departure of several other key figures from the organisation including Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtney. But Peter Windsor thinks Adrian Newey left at the right time as it gave Red Bull the chance to get over the initial shock and regroup.

And that is certainly what the team have done as Pierre Wache – who takes over from Newey – has already built a ‘very handsome’ engineering department, as Robert Doornbos puts it.

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But the former F1 driver stressed that Red Bull must ‘prove it’ as their regression in 2024 puts them in a ‘make or break’ situation in 2025.

“They really have to prove themselves because you can now say Newey has been gone for a while now and Pierre Wache, of course he has set up a very handsome engineering department,” he said via the GPFans NL YouTube Channel.

“But prove it, because the car was not as good as the previous years and the regulations have not changed much. So it is becoming make or break in that regard [for] 2025.”

Can Liam Lawson compete with Max Verstappen at Red Bull in 2025?

For the fifth time since 2018, Verstappen will have a new teammate at Red Bull in Liam Lawson, who will be promoted from Visa Cash App Racing Bulls to replace Sergio Perez.

The Kiwi driver has a mammoth task ahead going up against the four-time world champion, especially given that he has only competed in 11 Grand Prix so far. But Christian Horner believes Lawson demonstrated ‘the right mindset’ for Red Bull in that time, which is why the team opted for him over his teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

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The 22-year-old enters a car that none of Verstappen’s previous teammates have succeeded in, as the likes of Perez, Alex Albon and Pierre Gasly have been comprehensively beaten by the Dutchman over the years and eventually dropped by Red Bull.

Lawson says Verstappen is simply the best in the world, which is why his predecessors struggled to compete against him, and the Kiwi driver will be looking to avoid being the next to suffer that fate.

Lawson does not expect to fight for a world championship straight away at Red Bull, but he is aiming to help the team win the Constructors’ Championship as he hopes to fight at the front.