Red Bull Racing, through its director Christian Horner, announced some very bad news to Max Verstappen ahead of the 2025 F1 season.
For several races, Red Bull and Max Verstappen have been going through a difficult period in Formula 1. The Dutch driver, three-time world champion, has not tasted victory since the Spanish Grand Prix, almost four months ago.
This lack of success allows his rivals, notably Lando Norris, to get dangerously close in the drivers’ standings. Norris, thanks to a series of good results, is now just 52 points behind Verstappen.
But the worst could be yet to come for the reigning champion. Indeed, the single-seater that Max will drive in 2025 will be very similar to that of 2024, a model which is already struggling to compete with the competition.
An uncertain 2024 season for Verstappen
Although Max Verstappen won the world titles in 2021, 2022 and 2023, that of 2024 still seems far from assured. Red Bull does not appear to be able to effectively defend its constructors’ championship crown, which McLaren is likely to reclaim this year.
Red Bull’s problems aren’t just about the car’s current performance. The team, and its director Christian Horner, expect to have to deal with similar challenges in 2025, which could prolong the struggle.
Limited changes for 2025
Speaking on the sidelines of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix, Red Bull boss Christian Horner confirmed that the 2025 car will be a simple evolution of the current model.
“Next year’s single-seater will be an improved version of that of 2024he said. With the restrictions of the budget cap, we cannot significantly change the car unless it represents a significant step forward in performance.”
Horner highlights here the economic constraints imposed by F1 regulations, which hamper the team’s capacity for innovation.
An aging wind tunnel, a relic of the Cold War
Another obstacle facing Red Bull is its wind tunnel, a crucial tool for the aerodynamic development of single-seaters. Christian Horner did not mince his words on the subject, calling the current installation “relic of the Cold War”.
“Our wind tunnel is more than 60 years old. It has been very useful in the past, allowing us to design cutting-edge cars, but today it is showing its limits” explains Horner.
He continues by specifying that the wind tunnel becomes unusable under certain conditions: “At temperatures below 5°C it does not work, and above 25°C it becomes unstable.”
An uncertain future for Red Bull
With a car that is struggling to compete and aging infrastructure, Red Bull could be in difficulty for the seasons to come. The team will need significant improvements to hope to regain the upper hand over rivals like McLaren and Mercedes.
The year 2025 could therefore mark a turning point for Red Bull and Verstappen, and it will be necessary to closely monitor how the team manages to overcome these challenges.
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