A season of F1 with two faces for Red Bull. The 2024 season seemed to start just as the previous one ended: total domination until the Chinese Grand Prix, then something went wrong. Internal team disputes, fueled by the internal investigation that saw Christian Horner in the spotlight, are not enough to explain the technical decline rarely seen. The RB20 went from a dominating car to one that was unable to deliver the performance needed to reach the podium. As admitted by several team members, Monza was the lowest point of the season.
Perhaps this was the moment when even the driver’s championship seemed uncertain. But then, thanks to Verstappen’s stellar performances and McLaren’s mistakes, the driver’s title was secured with two races to spare. As for the constructors’ championship, the Austrian team had to hand over the crown to the Woking team because, beyond the performance regression, Red Bull essentially raced with one and a half drivers. Since Miami, Perez has been missing in action, unable to maximize the race weekends beyond the issues with the car.
After winning the Brazilian Grand Prix in Interlagos, thanks to a sublime performance by the four-time world champion in the RB20 and a bit of luck, the season seemed to hold no further surprises. However, as if by magic, at the Sprint Weekend in Losail, the Austrian car returned to its early-season levels, managing to win without any favorable circumstances. The Qatar track is a circuit with varied geometry, on which McLaren should have dominated the rivals. Yet…
The Milton Keynes team, after a nightmare Sprint Race, completely transformed the car, giving the original Hasselt ace a car capable of fighting for victory. Even in the final round in the United Arab Emirates, it seemed Max could fight for the win, but the collision with Piastri at turn 1, just meters from the start, completely altered the Dutch champion’s race. The question then is: was the Qatar result an isolated event, or have the engineers finally found the key to solving the issues?
F1, Red Bull: The Technical and Human Issues to Resolve
Since the car’s unveiling, Adrian Newey feared that his latest creation was too conservative and would quickly be caught by the competition. At the time, the comments of the brilliant English designer seemed like mere tactics, a feeling fueled by the strong start of his latest technical project for Red Bull. However, Newey’s prophecy has come true. The RB20 showed excessive chassis rigidity, difficulties in handling the bumps, and limitations in the front-end and low-speed corners.
These weaknesses compromised overall performance in many Grands Prix. The last year of regulatory continuity could be a major problem for Red Bull. The technical project for the 2025 agnostic campaign will need to address the weaknesses highlighted by a development program that was not very effective during the 2024 season. The car for the next season will need to be more competitive, with softer setups that work better. The “riding” over bumps and curbs, the real Achilles’ heel of the RB20, which became evident from Imola, will have to be improved.
On several occasions, Max Verstappen complained about the poor connection between the front and rear axles, a sign of poor balance. But the real challenge could be the human aspect. Too many “pillars” of the former dominant team have chosen to leave the F1 team to pursue new professional challenges. The team will have to prove it can win even without Adrian Newey. It is important to remember that all of the team’s victories have been achieved with cars designed by the brilliant British designer.
Another sore point is the second seat alongside Verstappen. Historically, Red Bull has given little time to Max’s teammates to prove their worth. In 2021, by choosing Sergio Perez, the team “betrayed” the logic that the second driver would be a product of their junior program, coming from their junior team (Racing Bulls, note). Despite extremely disappointing results, Checo seems to have a “papal dispensation,” never granted to any driver in the team’s twenty-year presence in the top class.
The issue of the driver to partner Verstappen with is not marginal. On the contrary, it is a crucial factor in fighting for the constructors’ title. Furthermore, a driver closer in performance to Jos’s son would allow for better race strategies, relying on two “aces.” The so-called performance clauses in the Mexican’s contract were not exercised to mutually terminate the partnership. This is a factor that could probably be resolved before the start of the next season.
The only undeniable certainty is Verstappen, but we don’t know if he will be able to repeat his 2024 feat. Despite the storm that hit the team at the beginning of the year, Max shut himself in a bubble and took control of a struggling team. In the upcoming season, the competition will be fiercer from Bahrain onwards, and after three seasons, Red Bull will not start as the favorite in F1. Without a competitive car and with a major technical revolution on the horizon, creating competitive technical projects will be the only way to ensure the Dutch ace’s continued presence.
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