Although Max Verstappen enters this year as the defending Champion, the consensus is that he could struggle to claim a fifth world title. Red Bull’s development last season was poor by the Austrian team’s usual standards, as they lost ground to the other front-runners.
Over the winter break, there were suggestions that Red Bull could struggle to rectify some of their fundamental issues from last season.
In the very early stages of the Australian GP weekend, there are concerns about the RB21’s limitations – and whether it will be enough for Verstappen to mount a title bid.
Verstappen: Balance was reasonable, but still lacking pace
One of the prominent themes that followed Red Bull last year was the poor drivability of their single-seater.
Sergio Perez was extremely vocal about his disconnect with the car, and Verstappen added to these complaints before too long – especially as McLaren made up ground.
In many ways, the Dutchman’s early dominance covered some of the car’s fundamental weaknesses.
However, the last ten months have forced Red Bull to confront their problems.
Team principal Christian Horner has even admitted that his personnel could struggle to break the ever-approaching development ‘ceiling’.
In fairness to the Milton Keynes outfit, they have undoubtedly made progress over the winter. Verstappen is generally happier with the balance of the RB21 than its predecessor.
With that said, the 4-time Champion believes there is a considerable gap to the front:
“To be honest, the balance wasn’t even completely out,” he told Sky Sports.
“No massive or major problems, but somehow the grip was not coming alive.
“And just struggling on all four tyres really, in sector one and the last sector.
“That means, of course, we’re just not really up there at the moment.
“The problem is that I don’t really have any major, like balance problems.
“So I think it will be a bit hard to fix, but it’s also nothing I didn’t expect when I arrived here.
“So I am not positively or negatively surprised by the pace we are showing.
“We’ve never really been that good here, as soon as that tarmac update. So for sure, it’s not really helping.
“But still, it’s the same for everyone right? So we just have to make sure we find a bit more pace. But at the moment, we are definitely lacking a bit to fight at the front.”
No margin for error at Red Bull
Despite there being a definitive top 4 group last year, qualifying sessions were extremely competitive.
The likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso often upset the top teams on Saturdays, even whilst lacking the machinery to compete with them over a race distance.
In 2025, there is a real possibility that qualifying becomes even closer. Williams have shown flashes of strong pace on low-fuel, even if their best laps were set on emptier ranks than other teams.
Still, in the hands of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon, they could be legitimate Q3 threats.
Alpine look to have build upon last year’s strong finish to produce a solid challenger for 2025, whilst Aston Martin are already looking far stronger than the narrative after Bahrain testing suggested.
In this context, Red Bull must ensure they optimise the RB21 ahead of qualifying tomorrow.
