Despite the setbacks they suffered during the recent Formula 1 race in China, Red Bull Racing insists they are not backing down from the competition. Unfazed by the gap between themselves and the leading team, McLaren, Red Bull confirms that they will be discussing their strategy in a scheduled meeting, quashing any notion of a defeatist attitude.
The race in China was a tough one for the Red Bull team, with their top driver, Max Verstappen, finishing a significant 16 seconds behind the victorious McLaren driver, Oscar Piastri. Verstappen’s initial pessimism about the race proved to be a reality as he struggled to keep pace with the race leaders in the early stages.
However, Verstappen found his rhythm in the closing laps, overtaking Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, after Lewis Hamilton’s pitstop, to claim the fourth spot. Christian Horner, Red Bull team boss, acknowledged the need to discover what triggered Verstappen’s late surge in the RB21.
“We lost a lot of time in the first stint,” Horner confessed to Sky Sports F1. “Max was 18 seconds behind Oscar [Piastri] when he pit-stopped, but he finished only 16 seconds off. This indicates that we were competitive on the Hard tyre, and perhaps we overcompensated based on the degradation we saw in the previous race. We need to find more pace, but Max’s performance today was commendable.”
Red Bull’s advisor, Helmut Marko, attributed Verstappen’s cautious start to concerns about tyre degradation, a problem they faced in the Sprint. Speaking to Sky Germany, Marko said, “We lost the race with the first set of Mediums, and Max might have been too cautious because of their vulnerability. But towards the end, we were as fast as the leading teams. With a better start and more speed in the first stint, we could have finished on the podium.”
As Red Bull prepares for the next round in Japan, Marko revealed plans for an urgent meeting to strategize on closing McLaren’s lead. “We’ll have a meeting in Milton Keynes this week to discuss how we can reduce this gap. There’s concern but we are not giving up yet,” Marko affirmed.
Red Bull’s struggle is evident in the 42-point gap between them and McLaren. However, Verstappen is only eight points behind McLaren’s Lando Norris. Horner remains confident in his team’s ability to close the gap, praising Verstappen’s dedication to improving the team’s performance.
Responding to the suggestion of Red Bull conceding to McLaren’s lead in the 2025 season, Horner responded, “It’s just the second race. We cannot afford to be defeatist. We are only eight points behind in the Drivers’ Championship and there’s still everything to play for. We have a strong team, the right tools, and the right people. We’ve gathered good data and Max is working harder than ever with the engineering group. He’s not stressed but is working with the engineers to improve performance. That’s the only way we’re going to get stronger.”
In conclusion, Red Bull is not shying away from the challenges ahead. Despite a tough race in China, they remain dedicated to improving their performance and closing the gap to McLaren. With a team led by the persistent Max Verstappen, they are determined to come back stronger in the upcoming races.
