Good, but not great. This could sum up Red Bull’s start to the season as they work with a new concept. The RB21 is a car that has changed more than appearances suggest, requiring a learning period. While it represents a step forward in terms of balance and drivability, the progress made so far isn’t enough to challenge McLaren. The 2025 car, however, represents a healthier starting point for development, giving Max Verstappen confidence.
The new concept
Appearances are deceiving, and Red Bull is proof of that. During the Bahrain tests, the visual similarity between the RB21 and the RB20 raised the question of whether the Milton Keynes team decided to present the previous year’s car. However, many changes have been made, focusing on areas like the floor, under-the-hood packaging, and suspension mechanics, which aren’t easily noticeable.
“I think the RB21 is much more different in terms of characteristics than the differences between the RB19 and RB20,” confirmed Technical Director Pierre Waché to The Race. “At the end of the RB19 season, we opted for an evolution. The shapes of the RB20 were extremely different, but the concept was the same. Now the way we extract performance and the characteristics of the car are quite different.”
With the change in concept, the French engineer refers to the new way of making the car work. Red Bull designed the RB21 to run closer to the ground and extract more downforce from the floor, while managing the associated risks. The reduction in ground clearance requires a stiffer suspension group to stabilize the aerodynamic platform, a need the team sought to balance with another opposing requirement. Red Bull worked to develop a sufficiently mobile suspension that would allow them to correct the balance through mechanical adjustments. “The changes made for 2025 give us a bit more options to rebalance it,” said Pierre Waché, suggesting that there could be updates in the spring-damper group. “It’s taking more time to figure out the best option, and I think this is the process we are currently in.”
Learning curve
At the end of the tests, the technical director’s satisfaction is only partial, given that the car did not always respond as desired during the experiments. The direction seems to be the right one, even though the extent of the improvements is not yet as hoped. Red Bull is still going through a natural learning period, needing to learn how to take advantage of a car that works differently from the previous ones.
Hence, the choice during the Bahrain tests to sacrifice race pace testing and conduct several experiments with setup. The RB21 alternates between two different floor and front wing specifications, which could mistakenly suggest correlation problems. However, this is part of a meticulous work program aimed at changing one variable at a time, moving from one extreme to the other. The team is testing different suspension setup philosophies, combining them with the various floor and wing specifications available to assess the best combination of aerodynamic and mechanical setup.
“During the Bahrain tests, we made some substantial changes to the setup,” confirmed Christian Horner. “We wanted to push the setup extremes to understand the setup parameters, so that we have knowledge of the car when we go racing. I believe the characteristics of this car are much more ‘neutral’ than those of the RB20; it’s calmer, and there are no violent snaps like last year’s car. This gives us a good platform to develop the car throughout the season.”
Waiting for updates
Already at the opening race in Australia, the first steps forward in understanding the car can be seen. Behind the wheel, Verstappen notices a big difference from the old RB20, judging its successor to be more predictable, less nervous, and with more consistent aerodynamic load. The balance oscillations in the same corner seem to be within normal limits, but the world champion still believes there is room for improvement with the RB21. In both Melbourne and Shanghai, in Verstappen’s hands, the car does not appear unbalanced or particularly difficult to drive, but it lacks pace compared to the competition.
The learning process of the new concept is still ongoing and will allow more performance to be extracted through simple setup work. Overall, the picture is that of a healthier starting base, which will make aerodynamic development easier. The 2025 design revolution has prevented Red Bull from making the same progress as McLaren, having to take a step back first to build something new. However, with the foundations now laid, Red Bull has the opportunity to push forward with updates to close the gap.
The Milton Keynes team can count on one certainty: Max Verstappen. The world champion remains the only one capable of maximizing a car that is extremely sensitive and would be uncontrollable for most, starting with his teammates. The Dutchman’s consistency keeps him just 8 points behind Lando Norris in the standings, despite McLaren’s technical advantage at the start of the season. Red Bull is no longer the reference on the grid, and it’s unlikely they will be again, but that doesn’t mean Max Verstappen can’t aim for a fifth world title.
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