Christian Horner: “Red Bull RB21 car is much more predictable, we can develop it better”. Christian Horner believes the Chinese GP will be the first true benchmark of the season.

McLaren dominant, but Red Bull remains confident
Red Bull eagerly awaits the Chinese Grand Prix. According to team principal Christian Horner, the Melbourne GP—due to its layout and race incidents—was not a reliable indicator for the rest of the season. The Albert Park circuit has historically been challenging for Red Bull, making the feedback from Shanghai far more crucial.

The Chinese track is more technical than Melbourne and serves as a preview of the first major test of 2025—Suzuka. With more stable weather conditions expected, this weekend should provide a clearer picture of the real pecking order among the teams.

Christian Horner’s comments
“It’s difficult to set expectations for China,” Christian Horner said. “Even on our best days, Albert Park has never really suited us. We’ve only won there twice in 20 years, which shows how tough that circuit is for us. We’re looking forward to China to better understand the car and some of its limitations. McLaren will be fast, no doubt, but it will be interesting to see the balance of power between the teams. China will likely be the first truly representative race circuit for many of the upcoming rounds.” – he pointed out.

“In Bahrain testing, we made some significant setup adjustments. We wanted to push things to the extreme to fully understand the car’s parameters before racing,” he added. “I believe this car’s characteristics are much more ‘neutral’ than the RB20. It’s calmer, without the sudden movements we had last year. This gives us a strong foundation to develop the car throughout the season.” – the Red Bull team principal concluded.