Max Verstappen has issued a stern warning to Red Bull, emphasizing that the team must make significant progress with their RB21 car in order to remain competitive in the 2025 Formula 1 season. Despite securing his fourth consecutive drivers’ championship in 2024, Verstappen is acutely aware that his dominant start to the season, which gave him a comfortable lead in the standings, was the primary reason for his success. While Red Bull’s early dominance allowed them to secure another title, their subsequent dip in form, particularly in the latter half of the season, left the door open for McLaren to snatch the constructors’ championship, marking the first time the team has won the title since 1998.
While Red Bull did manage to rediscover some of their earlier form toward the end of the season, Verstappen is fully aware that the competition is now tighter than ever. He acknowledges that if Red Bull does not take a significant step forward in 2025, retaining both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles will be extremely challenging. Verstappen’s candid assessment of the situation came in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, where he stated, “If we continue like this, I won’t be champion next year. It’s as simple as that. We really need to make steps to be competitive next season. We all know that.”
Verstappen highlighted several areas where Red Bull needs to improve, particularly the car's performance over kerbs, bumps, and in slow corners, which have been persistent weaknesses for the team. He noted that these issues were particularly evident during the 2024 season, and if the car remains deficient in these areas, it will be outpaced by its rivals. He added, "We know that we need to be better over the kerbs, bumps, and in the slow corners. Those are generally our weaknesses. If we are still beaten then, it will be based on pure speed."
Verstappen has always been vocal about maintaining high standards, both for himself and for the team. He remarked that during certain parts of the 2024 season, the car became difficult to drive, and he could feel there was no more performance to extract from it. His own input into car development was critical during the Italian Grand Prix, where Verstappen played a key role in identifying the issues plaguing the RB20.
Verstappen revealed that after the Monza race, the team had to essentially restart their development process, scrapping plans for new parts that were initially meant to address the car’s struggles. "All plans for new parts, which were to come after that [race in Monza], could be thrown into the bin," he said. "The team actually started from scratch after that." He credited his observations during the race weekend, where he noticed discrepancies in the car's aerodynamic performance and ride heights, which led him to pinpoint the root causes of the problems.
“I saw a couple of graphics when we were looking at the data. I saw certain aerodynamic shifts in how we entered the corners, turned into corners, and also in terms of ride heights. It was different from last year’s car. I said, ‘Hey, it’s very clear that this and this is the problem, isn’t it?’ That turned out to be right, I heard later on,” Verstappen explained.
Verstappen also reflected on the early part of the 2024 season, where despite winning convincingly, he still felt the car’s balance wasn’t to his liking. "At the beginning of last season, we were still winning our races convincingly, but I felt even then that the balance of the car did not feel the way I wanted it to,” he admitted. “But, back then, we still had a big lead over the other teams, who might not have had a very good winter.”
In addition to his technical observations, Verstappen also took a cheeky dig at some of the team’s rivals, suggesting that certain success may have been due to underhand tactics. He cryptically mentioned, "Things happened in the background that meant we had no chance at all in certain races. I know that for sure, but no one will ever admit that." This comment, though vague, hints at Verstappen’s belief that rival teams may have used questionable methods to gain an advantage during the season.
Looking ahead to 2025, Verstappen’s warning to Red Bull is clear: without improvements in key areas, it will be a real struggle to defend both their drivers' and constructors’ titles. Verstappen’s leadership and technical insight remain pivotal for the team, and if Red Bull is to maintain its competitive edge in the highly competitive world of Formula 1, they must heed his calls for progress and make the necessary adjustments to their car. The pressure is on for both Verstappen and Red Bull to rise to the occasion in the upcoming season.
