Red Bull has endured a challenging start to the 2025 Formula 1 season, with the Chinese Grand Prix highlighting their struggles.
Max Verstappen finished fourth, crossing the line over 16 seconds behind race-winner Oscar Piastri, as McLaren demonstrated an early advantage.
Verstappen’s difficulties were evident in the opening stint, where he trailed Piastri by 18 seconds before his first pit stop.
However, a switch to hard tyres saw the RB21 show improved pace, helping him reduce the deficit slightly by the chequered flag.
Despite the lacklustre performance, team principal Christian Horner remains optimistic. He insists Red Bull possesses the tools and talent to close the gap to their rivals.
However, he acknowledged that the early phase of the race was a key concern, with Verstappen struggling to match the pace of the McLaren drivers.
To address these issues, Red Bull has scheduled a critical internal meeting to assess their performance and strategise improvements.
“Well, I think that first stint was where we gave away all the time,” he told Sky Sports F1.
“Max came in for the pit stop, what 18 seconds behind Oscar [Piastri], and at the chequered flag, he was 16 seconds behind. So, on the hard tyre, we were pretty competitive.
“So, I think we need to understand… maybe we overcompensated based on the degradation we saw yesterday.
“For sure, we need to find a little bit more pace, then just life is easier. But he drove another great race today.
“He caught the Ferraris, he passed Charles. And yeah, a fourth-place finish and important points, but we know we’ve still got plenty to do.”
