Despair for Verstappen: Crisis talks fail to solve Red Bull’s mounting problems

The world looked very different a year ago in Bahrain. Max Verstappen took pole position for the Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024 with a margin of almost three tenths to Charles Leclerc and almost five tenths to the fastest McLaren driver Lando Norris. Norris even qualified behind the second Red Bull driver.

In the Grand Prix, the dominance of Red Bull Racing was further emphasized. Verstappen won with a lead of more than twenty seconds. The first pursuer: Sergio Perez. Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc followed the Red Bull Racing duo. McLaren finished sixth and eighth. Both about fifty seconds behind the winner.

Just over a year later, the roles are completely reversed. Max Verstappen could only manage seventh place in qualifying on Saturday and with the help of the safety car just passed Pierre Gasly for P6 in the Grand Prix. Anyone who had predicted that a year ago would have been sent to the hospital.

Immediately after the Grand Prix, there was an emergency meeting at Red Bull Racing, with Christian Horner, Pierre Waché, and Paul Monaghan. Horner's session with the written media was postponed by an hour for that reason.

Max Verstappen was very critical of Red Bull Racing after the race. The car already has enough problems, but the procedures like the pit stop where Red Bull normally excels were once again not at the level. After a poor pit stop in Japan, Verstappen faced no less than two disastrous pit stops in Bahrain.

This caused Verstappen, with a car with balance problems and a car that is not good at managing the tires, to get caught up in traffic more than he would have liked. However, whether better pit stops would have resulted in a better outcome is quite questionable.

Verstappen was clear about his team after the race: a conversation is not necessary at the moment. Verstappen was not in the mood for that at the moment. On Saturday, Verstappen had already indicated to the Dutch media that he is done with the promises of Red Bull Racing about updates and what they supposedly would deliver. In reality, Red Bull has been stagnant for quite some time while the competition is surpassing them on all sides.

One hour later than the scheduled time slot, Horner was there for the media session for written media. There was no sign of a team boss in panic, or a team boss who sees that his team is in huge trouble. It is precisely this attitude that frustrates Verstappen's camp.

According to Horner, correlation problems are at the root of Red Bull Racing's current performance. In the outdated wind tunnel, Red Bull Racing would make great progress, but on the track, something very different is seen every time. That difference, which Red Bull struggled with in 2024 as well, still seems unresolved.

Red Bull Racing's new wind tunnel will not be ready until 2027, so the team must make do with the old version for now. According to Horner, it is a matter of comparing data and ensuring that the correlation is correct in the future. Horner is definitely not sounding the alarm. In fact, according to Horner, Verstappen is still in the running for the world title, just eight points behind Lando Norris.

It is strange that Red Bull expects the tide to turn so easily. Updates are coming in Imola, but will they suddenly do what is expected of them? After all, those updates have been tested in the same wind tunnel as the current car. What guarantees does Verstappen have that his car will be better in Imola? Indeed, none.

Furthermore, the competition is not sitting still. McLaren has been consistently bringing updates since Miami 2024 that have worked every time. It is unlikely to suddenly stop. The correlation at McLaren seems perfect. Also, Mercedes looks much better than it did in 2024 and even Ferrari, which radically changed the front suspension for 2025, was better than Red Bull Racing in Bahrain.

It explains Verstappen's despair. Few people believed him when Max stated in recent weeks that the RB21 was not performing well. After all, he finished second in Australia and won in Japan. However, Verstappen did so in conditions where he as a driver could make the difference. When it comes down to the car, as in Bahrain, that's when true performance order gets clear.

It is up to Red Bull Racing to prove that it is able to turn the tide. Rarely has a team imploded so much that it has slipped from dominance to mediocrity in a year. Especially in a year where the rules have remained the same. Red Bull has clearly been sleeping and now must put in every effort to give Verstappen a chance at the world title in 2025.