Red Bull approaches the new season with high ambitions but also some doubts. The Milton Keynes team identified the issues plaguing the RB20, showing signs of recovery with updates introduced last October. However, the timeline raises uncertainty about fully resolving the car’s problems for 2025, alongside potential setbacks in aerodynamics.
Monza as the turning point
During the last Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Max Verstappen summarized the outlook for the new year: “After truly understanding our issues from Monza, we saw performance improvements starting in Austin, with many ideas for the new season. Some things couldn’t be changed this year, so they’ll be addressed next year. I hope they’ll make the car more drivable and competitive.”
Monza’s mix of high- and low-speed corners, such as the Varianti and Parabolica, highlighted the RB20’s balance issues, revealing difficulties transitioning between different speeds. Additionally, Max Verstappen found the Red Bull’s handling didn’t suit his preferences, as he struggled with the car’s rotation, making it harder to hit the apex as desired. The low downforce and limited grip typical of Monza further exacerbated the RB20’s sensitivity and unpredictability, which worsened with mid-2023 developments. However, the difficult weekend exposed the car’s flaws, finally allowing Red Bull to identify their root causes. Unfortunately, the timing may be too late.
A project already underway
Post-Monza analysis enabled initial countermeasures, but the updates introduced in Baku and Austin, while effective, did not fully close the gap to Ferrari and McLaren, with Qatar being an exception. Max Verstappen noted that the RB21 will include further corrections, though addressing issues in a project already largely defined poses a challenge. By January 2024, Red Bull had already laid the groundwork for the 2025 car. As revealed by Ben Waterhouse, head of Performance Engineering, in an interview with *Racecar Engineering* last winter: “The RB20 is a car that’s at least six months old, and we’re already shifting focus to the RB21.”
In Formula 1, the architecture of the following year’s car is typically set by late summer, locking in decisions on chassis and suspension. Red Bull’s initial concept aimed for a car that operated farther from the ground, as explained recently by technical director Pierre Wache to *Racecar Engineering*: “Our philosophy was to ensure the car’s maximum potential didn’t coincide with the minimum ride height, giving us room to adjust and balance the vehicle.”
Now, Red Bull aims to optimize performance closer to the ground, acknowledging Ferrari and McLaren’s advantages once their side effects were managed. This requires not only aerodynamic refinements to the floor but also adjustments to ride height control via the suspension. Red Bull is thus forced to make in-progress changes to a largely finalized project, adding another layer of difficulty for 2025.
Less extreme bodywork
Cooling issues in 2024 remain another headache for the Anglo-Austrian team. The RB20’s extreme bodywork compromised the reliability of the Honda power unit, prompting the development of an alternative design for heat-challenging tracks by summer. Red Bull subsequently used this new engine cover from Singapore through the season’s end, even at less critical circuits like cold, fast Las Vegas.
Late 2024 decisions suggest a potential step back with the RB21, opting for more traditional and reliable bodywork at the cost of some efficiency. The 2025 car was also developed during a year when Red Bull had the fewest wind tunnel hours of any team. The aerodynamic handicap, focus on reliability, and late timing are not insurmountable obstacles for Red Bull, but they certainly don’t ease Max Verstappen’s mission to defend his world title.
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