If 2024 didn’t end on the best note, this new season seems to be starting under the same circumstances. Red Bull is heading into the Australian Grand Prix, the first race of the 2025 World Championship, with many doubts about its first post-Newey project, led by Pierre Waché. The Frenchman, interviewed after the pre-season tests, didn’t have encouraging words about Milton Keynes’ new car.
After what we witnessed in 2023, no one could have imagined such a situation. Twenty-two wins out of twenty-three races on the calendar. Such a dominant performance, completely obliterating all competitors, is something we rarely see. Despite this, the following year, the situation flipped in just a few races.
In fact, at least in the early races, it seemed like a season similar to the one that concluded in the previous November. Max Verstappen and Red Bull, including Sergio Perez, started as they finished: the strongest, without question. However, things took a different turn starting from Barcelona. From June to October, the world champion did not stand on the top step of the podium again, but still managed to secure his fourth title.
This 2025 season hasn’t started off well. During the three days of testing that concluded on Friday, February 28, at the Bahrain circuit, the car didn’t show itself to be the best. In particular, on the final day, despite finishing second under the checkered flag, Verstappen struggled to drive the RB21. Continuous rear-end losses and a lack of stability were evident.
Not to mention Liam Lawson. Once again, as has been the case for years, Red Bull’s second driver is finding it extremely difficult to drive the car. On the first day, he truly risked crashing into the wall. Exiting turn 2, the New Zealander lost control and spun. In the following days, making matters worse, the Honda Power Unit experienced some reliability issues.
Technical director Pierre Waché is also unhappy with the project. “The first day of testing went well, but on the second day we didn’t find the right setup,” he told The Race. “The car had some issues, so at the moment it’s hard to say where we stand in terms of competitiveness.”
“I think this year will be tough. Right now, it doesn’t seem like we’re fast enough, but we’ll see in Melbourne. Ferrari and McLaren are ahead of us.”
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