The future of Red Bull’s F1 2025 season hangs in the balance as rookie Liam Lawson’s debut took a turbulent turn in Bahrain, sparking concerns over the team’s stability. The young New Zealander, who steps in as reigning world champion Max Verstappen’s new teammate, experienced a major spin on his first day, triggering doubts about the team’s ability to rectify previous instability issues.
Lawson’s initial performance was promising, however, a significant spin and consequent tyre damage raised serious concerns. His oversteer at Turn 4’s exit, an issue that had been a thorn in Verstappen’s side throughout 2024, and his ambition with the kerbs at Turns 2 and 3, which resulted in the Red Bull RB21 bottoming out, brought back memories of former teammate Sergio Perez’s struggles.
The question now looms: is Red Bull wrestling with unresolved stability issues? And what does this mean for Verstappen? Is the Dutchman’s 2025 season in jeopardy?
Verstappen, a four-time world champion, also had a less than perfect session. He slipped into the gravel at Turn 4’s exit and experienced considerable understeer at Turn 11. The root cause remains uncertain – whether it was fuel load, driver error, or an inherent Red Bull car issue. Nevertheless, Verstappen exhibited steady pace and finished third fastest overall for the day.
Despite the setbacks, Verstappen remained hopeful about his 2025 championship defense. He expressed satisfaction with the car’s performance, noting that it was responding well to his commands and everything was under control. The optimism was contagious, with Lawson also shrugging off his initial mishap, highlighting the thrill of finally getting behind the wheel of the new car and looking forward to optimizing the testing days.
While Lawson topped the timesheets with a 1:31.574 on medium tyres, an hour into the session, he later slid down to eighth quickest overall. The 23-year-old acknowledged that he still had much to learn, particularly with the team transition, but was eager to understand the new car better.
Despite these early hiccups, Red Bull remains a formidable contender. The initial testing suggests some familiar issues might still be lingering from the previous season. Lawson’s spin and Verstappen’s understeer hint that the RB21 may not offer the stability the team desires. However, both drivers exude confidence that further testing will help them fine-tune the performance, pushing the car to its true potential.
With more testing days on the horizon, Red Bull is keen to rectify these glitches before the Australian season opener from March 14-16. As the anticipation builds, the question remains – can Red Bull turn it around for the F1 2025 season? Only time will tell.