Red Bull dominated the 2023 season, winning all but one of the races. They won the constructors championship at a canter by 451 points from second-placed Mercedes. This season, Red Bull looked like it would dominate again, winning four of the five opening races. However, things began to go downhill for the Austrian team.
Red Bull has only won one race since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, which was the last time in Brazil. They have dropped to third in the constructors’ championship and sit 49 points behind leaders McLaren. However, Red Bull is more confident for next season.
Red Bull believe they will be more competitive next season
Max Verstappen has described this season’s car as “consistently inconsistent.” Both Max and teammate Sergio Perez have been complaining about the balance of the car. They say the front and rear of the car aren’t working in sync, making the car unpredictable and difficult to push through corners.
However, when Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan was asked if they knew what they needed to change for 2025 to fix the cars’ issues, he said: “The funny thing is that I can say yes to you. We know which way we want to go, all the plans are ready. We want to compete for the championships. That will demand a lot from everyone in the team. But we will try everything.”
⚠️ | Christian Horner on the origins of Red Bull’s Struggles:
“We have traced the development history back and it turned out that the first mistake already happened to us with an underbody upgrade in Barcelona in 2023. That was also the Grand Prix, from which Checo got his… pic.twitter.com/toDlaWj0lE
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) September 16, 2024
Max Verstappen is close to winning the world championship with the RB20. However, compared to the last two seasons, this year has been too close with Lando Norris pushing him hard. Until Brazil, it looked as if we had a strong title fight to the end. Next season could be just as tough if Red Bull doesn’t get the car right for Max and the team.
2026 Regulation changes could take Red Bull out of contention
Monaghan believes the big new regulation changes in 2026 could compromise the push for the 2025 car. He said: “The efforts for next year are complicated by the challenges related to the 2026 car.”
The 2026 car will have many challenges. However, Red Bull is ending its partnership with Honda, and joining with Ford to create their own power train. Creating an in-house engine does present major challenges as team principal Christian Horner has called this transition Red Bull’s “biggest challenge.”
The fear could be if they get the engine wrong, will Max Verstappen stay around post-2026 or will the three-time world champion look to move to the strongest team? There is pressure to get this right, as there is with the design of the car.
Adrian Newey, the mastermind behind Red Bull’s periods of domination, has left to join Aston Martin for 2025. He will be working on the 2026 car to get Aston back to the sharp end of the grid. Without his expertise, there are concerns that Red Bull won’t be as dominant. The 2026 season will be a major test for Red Bull and one they need to pass.
