Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, has rejected comments from Adrian Newey that suggested Red Bull’s development struggles during the 2024 Formula 1 season were due to a lack of experience within the team.
The RB20, when it first debuted in 2024, was the dominant car on the grid, with Max Verstappen securing seven wins in the first ten races. Despite the early success, Red Bull began facing development challenges later in the season, especially with the rise of McLaren, who had caught up in the development race with their MCL39.
After Verstappen’s seventh win in Spain, Red Bull faced a 10-race winless streak, with issues around the car’s balance hindering performance as they pushed for further improvements. These struggles came to light after Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s renowned chief technical officer, stated that the 2024 car was becoming increasingly difficult to drive, due to the team’s “lack of experience” in addressing the development problems.
Christian Horner responded to Newey’s comments at the F1 75 launch event, saying, “I’m not sure I haven’t seen those comments, but I think the issues are more deep-rooted than just last year.”
Horner emphasized that the performance issues Red Bull faced with the RB20 were not simply due to inexperience but stemmed from more complex factors. “When you really dig into the data,” Horner explained, “you start to see them much earlier than that, certainly during 2023. It was a matter of unravelling it to understand what were the contributing factors to having a very peaky performance.”
Horner praised the team’s ability to address these issues, stating that Red Bull’s problem-solving approach was instrumental in fixing the car’s performance peaking. The team worked relentlessly to understand and address the underlying issues that led to the inconsistencies during the season.
Addressing the RB20’s Limitations with the RB21
As Red Bull turns its focus to the RB21 for the 2025 season, Horner was asked if the RB20’s weaknesses had been addressed. He was optimistic, stating, “We’ve had a good winter, and the team has been working incredibly hard.” Horner noted that the team would have a clearer understanding of whether the issues had been fully resolved after pre-season testing in Bahrain, with the first real indication coming from the opening races.
The late-season performance improvements for Red Bull were underscored by victories at the Sprint in Austin and Verstappen’s stunning recovery from 17th to first in São Paulo, as well as a Qatar GP win following last-minute setup adjustments and testing.
While Red Bull had managed to improve the RB20’s handling during the latter stages of the 2024 season, the big question remains whether the RB21 has evolved into a faster and more stable car, capable of continuing their success into the new season.
Conclusion
With the start of the 2025 season just around the corner, Red Bull is hoping to have tamed the RB20’s limitations into the new RB21, as they aim to bounce back from their struggles in 2024 and retain both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Whether they can maintain their dominant position in the grid remains to be seen. Horner and the team are confident that their winter work will pay off, but the true test will come when the lights go out for the season opener in Bahrain.
