Marko update on readiness of Red Bull 2025 F1 – Red Bull’s advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko has now revealed the status of the car which will be piloted by Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson for the 2025 campaign.

The RB20 was an evolution of the all conquering RB19 and began this year’s competition in fine style. Max won the opening two rounds and by some margin, although a brake failure at round three in Melbourne prevented the world champion from equaling his own record of ten consecutive race victories.

Wins for Max at three of the next four F1 weekends together with a near miss in Miami where Lando Norris benefitted from a late safety car appeared to confirm that Red Bull once again were kings of the F1 hill.

 

 

 

Red Bull lose their way in season development

However, the trip to Monaco this year demonstrated there were cracks appearing in the world champions facade of invincibility as Verstappen complained the car was hitting the kerbs and “jumping like a kangaroo.” Max qualified sixth which is where he finished in the race around the principality’s narrow streets, his joint worse result of the entire season.

Come the early rounds of the European season, it was McLaren and Mercedes who looked to have the quickest cars. Mercedes won three of the four events from Austria to Belgium interspersed by a win for Piastri in Hungary which inspired a further three wins for the Papaya team before Ferrari came to the fore.

Ferrari had delayed introducing their version of the McLaren flexi-wing as they waited for rulings from the FIA as to whether it was legal. Once the Scuderia realised the wings would not be outlawed, they rushed their own into production which contributed towards their home win in Monza and further victories in Austin Texas and Mexico City.

Meanwhile, Red Bull had lost their way with the in season car development and only the drive of the century from Max in Brazil could halt the onslaught from the team’s competitors. This proved enough to place Max within touching distance of the championship, although lack lustre performances from Sergio Perez saw McLaren claim Red Bull’s constructors’ crown.

RB now explain why Ricciardo F1 return failed

 

 

 

The3 big F1 2025 car reveals

Formula One will host a glitz and glamour event to celebrate 75 years since the inauguration of the FIA approved racing series. There all the teams will be required to attend on Jan 18 2025, yet a number of teams intend to continue with their own ‘reveals’ of next year’s challengers.

Christian Horner when asked, hinted that Red Bull would be ready even sooner and the world will “see what the RB21 looks like when it’s unveiled at the end of January.” No date has been confirmed as yet.

However, now Dr. Helmut Marko reveals Red Bull’s RB21 is now “ready” and going into production. This year’s Red Bull Racing car was highly unpredictable. When the team could find the operating window, the car was quick. Yet the window in which the car would perform to its capabilities was very specific and narrow and the team struggled from week to week to find the sweet spot.

Dr. Marko claims this will be a thing of the past next year given the team has addressed the Newey inspired suspension faults which were at the heart of the team’s difficulties. “I would say that the basic concept is ready,” Marko tells Sport1.de. “The car is de facto finished and it is now going into final production. At that point you see how much weight can be saved.”

Alpine built a whole new F1 car late in 2024

 

 

 

Marko claims explains RB21 improvements

F1 cars must pass the FIA crash test standards and often this is a case of trial and error as the teams seek the strongest crash structure which has the smallest weight. Alpine began the 2024 season some 10kg overweight, which was a huge penalty to pay in that this is equivalent to 10% of race distance fuel.

“The task for the engineers was to build a car that has a wider working window. One that is not so critically on the limit that it is very, very difficult for the drivers to control the car,” Marko adds.

“That means better predictability and, if possible, as McLaren has shown, that these performances are delivered on all tracks, not just on specific tracks.”

One of the problems the drivers experienced with the RB20 was its lack of compliance when at circuits with large kerbs. Max described the leap as like a “kangaroo” back in Monaco and issue which reared its head at a number of other circuits including Singapore.

Hamilton first Ferrari laps in Fiorano

 

 

 

RB21 goes into production

Dr. Marko believes the team have address this achilles heel, “as one of our big weaknesses was not being able to drive completely over the kerbs,” added Marko. “There was that statement by Max that the car jumps like a kangaroo, and on certain tracks that cost us a lot of time.

“So we think these weaknesses have been fixed, but we will only really see that during the test in Bahrain,” concluded the 81 year old Austrian.

With Red Bull set to put their RB21 into production, they are clearly the team leading the race to ready their challenger for the 2025 campaign ahead. The Italian press have been remarkably quiet over the holiday period, although the arrival of Lewis Hamilton on January 1st will inevitably create a media storm amongst the tifosi who have yet to decide whether to take the seven times world champion to their hearts.

Verstappen: “I expected the others to do better”

 

 

 

Wolff suggests a Hamilton return to Mercedes

Meanwhile Toto Wolff sent the Hamfosi into ecstasy when he suggested Lewis leaving mercedes was not the end of the relationship.

“There is no such thing in an end to the relationship that Mercedes has with Lewis, neither what we as a team have nor I and Susie personally. On the contrary. I think Lewis has decided to do something else for the last part of his career, which I understand – or I can understand.”

“But he’s always going to be part of that family and always welcome in the family,” he added. “And one day, maybe when the driving ends, there’s going to be plenty of adventures we’re going to embark on.”

Hulkenberg identifies Hamilton’s weakness

 

 

 

FIA reveals future plans for Flexi-wing testing

The 2024 Formula One season was a relatively quite one in terms of accusations of teams cheating when compared to two seasons ago and the explosive volcano of protest which erupted when Red Bull were found in a minor breach of the cost cap.

However, the issue of illegal moveable aero parts has been rumbling on for the past two seasons. Under the current regulations there must be no moveable aero parts on the cars other than the sanctioned DRS which can be used at times to assist with overtaking.

The FIA has historically tested the flexibility particularly of the front and rear wings by using a static deflection test. This simply means attaching a weight to the components being tested to see if gravity creates some kind of movement from within the part… READ MORE