Last Updated on May 26 2025, 5:02 pm

Red Bull appear to be digging themselves out of the hole they were in come the start of the 2025 Formula One season. Coming into round seven in Imola, Verstappen was facing a potential 42 point deficit to Oscar Piastri should he win the race with his team mate in second, yet the Milton Keynes based squad appeared to bring successful upgrades to the RB21 which saw Max cruise to victory way ahead of his McLaren rivals.

For those supporting Verstappen’s record equalling attempt at a fifth consecutive drivers’ title, hopes were high he could deliver again in Monaco. Yet like its predecessors, the RB21 looks very firm in qualifying setup and the low speed corners with high kerbs bounce the car back onto the circuit unsettling the balance for the driver.

So a win in the principality for Verstappen was never really a serious objective for the weekend, although the promise of more a intriguing race was on offer with the FIA new rule mandating each driver must complete two pit stops.

 

 

 

New Monaco rule a farce

As it turned out, the Grand Prix in Monaco became a farce for those drivers outside the top five. All of whom were lapped as team orders came into play which saw drivers travelling 3-4 seconds off the race pace in order to give their team mates the gap they required to stop and return to thwart position without the loss of a place.

Lando Norris held off a chasing Charles Leclerc for his maiden win in the principality although a late red flag would have handed the race to Verstappen who led until the final lap when he was forced to make a second and final pit stop, coming home in P4.

All things considered, the RB21 delivers better than its predecessor for the world champion who could only manage P6 last year. In Monaco there’s always the likelihood of a destructive crash and late race mayhem, so all in all it was a decent day for Red Bull and Max Verstappen.,

The fact that Norris closed the championship gap on his team mate by ten points and that Verstappen only slipped three points further behind the championship leader was a result for the Red Bull team and their lead driver. Next up is Spain where Verstappen has won the last three times out and since his arrival at Red Bull in 2016, Max has only failed to make the podium in Barcelona once and that was due to mechanical failure.

How Leclerc missed a historic pole in Monaco

 

 

 

Has the RB21 ben turned around

As the F1 teams head to the Iberian peninsula, all will be revealed about the Red Bull Imola upgrade and also whether McLaren have been using flexible bodywork which will come under sever scrutiny in Barcelona as the FIA’s new stress tests are applied. In just a few days time the margin of comfort McLaren have generally experienced this year may be completely wiped out.

All in all, the penultimate race at the circuit de Catalunya will be scrutinised closely and may well indicate where the advantage will lie for the remainder of the European racing season. As was predictable, Max was scathing about the new two pit stop rule for Monaco, describing it as “Mario Kart” and asking reports whether the drivers should have a stash of bananas at their disposal which they could deploy to force others into the barriers.

Yet while Red Bull Racing are clinging on to the coat tails of McLaren in the drivers title race, all is still not well with the other pilots in the RBR F1 programme. Red bull famously settled on Liam Lawson to replace the outgoing Sergio Perez for 2025, but the Kiwi survived just two Grand Prix weekends before being de noted to the Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda was appointed to drive alongside Verstappen and whilst the results have been better for the second Red Bull car the Japanese driver is hardly setting the world alight. Two P10’s and a P9 in his six Grand Prix since the promotion are not exactly what Red Bull were hoping for and once again questions arose in the Monaco paddock over this seasons future for Yuki Tsunoda.

The ever present and ever ready to talk to whoever wishes to listen, Dr. Helmut Marko, was up to his usual disruptive games own the French Riviera and when asked about Yuki’s promotion was premature, the Austrian was categoric: “No, because Lawson was in a negative spiral,” he told Viaplay.

Announced: “Verstappen grateful to Red Bull [but] Aston Martin place for the future”

 

 

 

Marko bigs up Hadjar

“He [Liam] is now in the top ten, so that shows that he is recovering. He would not have succeeded next to Max Verstappen.” Yet Marko has been critical of Tsunoda’s “frailty” since he joined Red Bull Racing and following his huge crash in Imola the Austrian advisor didn’t pull his punches. 

“It’s an incredible setback for us, because we are now working through three races in a row, including Monaco. It’s not exactly forgivable if you make a mistake there. Therefore, the situation with spare parts has really become critical,” Marko told assembled media. Tsunoda’s main sponsor Honda is off to partner Aston Martin next season and his future with Red Bull is expected to finish at the end of this season.

Yet with Dr. Marko talking up the Stella performances from Racing Bull’s Isack Hadjar, another driver switch at Red Bull could be on the cards. Of course this sounds like more wild speculation until you consider, that Red Bull asked the FIA for special dispensation to field their under age 17 old driver Arvin Lindblad. This wold only be necessary were he to find a race seat before the summer break, as on August 8th this year he becomes 18 years of age and eligible.

Marko dismissed Tsunoda’s weekend in Monaco preferring to eulogise about his old team mate Isack Hadjar. “When I compare Hadjar to Kimi Antonelli, I heard that Kimi tested about 10,000 kilometres in old cars,” said the Red Bull advisor. “Hadjar tested at most 500 to 800km. That shows how much potential this little young man has. I think he is a potential grand prix winner.”

Newey identifies hug Aston Martin weakness

 

 

 

Red Bull ask permission for 17 year  driver

The million dollar question is who would Linblad replace? With Dr. Marko making comparisons between him and Antonelli who launched his F1 career in a front running car, the usual half season at the Racing Bulls before promotion may not be the way Red Bull wishes to go.

Having baited the waiting media, Marko then returns to his de facto position. “We normally only talk about the future of the drivers after the summer break. So it is much too early to say anything about all of this now. Performance is always the most important thing at Red Bull,” he confirmed.

When questioned again over the uncertainty surrounding Max Verstappen who though contracted until 2028 with Red Bull has failed to squash rumours he will activate an exit clause this year after the summer break. Again Marko is adamant about this too:m “We will only look at that after the summer break, it is far too early for that now. He has a contract until 2028. All contracts have clauses,” Marko continued. “They mainly have to do with performance. That is not important at the moment.

Sainz makes emergency rule change demand

 

 

 

Verstappen exit clause a moot point

“We just have to make sure we make the car good enough. Then this whole discussion will be over. At the moment it is clear – he says that he wants to serve out his contract, but we have to give him a winning car, or at least one that he can fight for the world title with.”

No team can guarantee their driver a championship winning car and there is always the possibility that one team will deliver a car for their two drivers which is dominant over the rest of the field. This means its likely any performance clause Max can activate would need to see him lower than P3 in the drivers’ title race, which is where he currently stands.

He now leads George Russell by 37 points in fourth place and Charles Leclerc next is a further 20 points back. With eight rounds completed for the year, it looks fairly certain Verstappen should finish no worse than P3 this season – and so Red Bull will have met any performance clause Verstappen has negotiated.

 

 

 

Monaco scrapping

Formula One is being forced to confront an uncomfortable truth – and it’s happening increasingly behind closed doors. For all its glamour, tradition and prestige, the Monaco Grand Prix is no longer be compatible with the modern direction of the sport. What was once considered untouchable is now being seriously, if quietly, debated at the highest levels: could Formula One actually drop Monaco from its calendar?

A decade ago, the idea would have been heresy. Now it’s an inevitable conversation. The race has become synonymous with spectacle, not sport – and as pressure mounts from fans, broadcasters and even the teams themselves, Monaco’s future is no longer guaranteed. A Grand Prix that once defined F1 now risks being defined by everything the sport is trying to move beyond…. READ MORE