Red Bull Playing Catch-Up to McLaren Despite 2026 Regulations

After the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix, Red Bull finds itself in an unfamiliar position – trailing McLaren. While the upcoming regulations demand significant resource allocation, team chief Christian Horner has made it clear that they won’t be focusing on next year just yet. Instead, they are determined to fight for the constructors’ championship this season.

Red Bull’s Struggle and the Road Ahead

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the China campaign, Horner emphasized that it’s too early to look beyond the potential of the 2025 season. Despite a sudden drop in pace compared to McLaren and even Mercedes, he remains optimistic. “It’s race 2. You can’t be that defeatist,” he stated. “We’re 8 points behind in the drivers’ championship after two races, and there’s everything to play for.”

Horner confirmed that Red Bull has the necessary tools but needs to decipher the data to find the missing pace. “We’ve got great strength and depth in our team,” he said. “Everybody in the company knows we’ve got a bit of pace to find, and we’ve got the tools, we’ve got the people in order to do that. It’s just unpicking it.”

The New Regulations and Partnership with Ford

Describing the new regulations as “the biggest reset in probably the last 60 years of F1,” Horner has facilitated a partnership with Ford to develop Red Bull’s in-house power unit.

Performance Issues and the Struggling Team-mate

Max Verstappen’s performance this weekend revealed the current limitations of the RB21, with the racing driver finishing third in the sprint and fourth in the Grand Prix. However, team-mate Liam Lawson is struggling massively. “I think the window’s really small,” Horner said after qualifying on Saturday, hinting at the spikey nature of the car.

The Reigning Champion’s Determination

Despite the challenges, Verstappen is working harder than ever, according to Horner. “He’s of course, like any driver, impatient for performance,” he said. “But he’s working with the engineers to say, ‘OK, what about this, what about this? This is what I’m experiencing as a driver, this is where I need the lap time from’, and that’s the only way collectively that we’re gonna get performance.”

McLaren’s Current Pace and Upcoming Upgrades

With McLaren enjoying their current pace, Red Bull will want to introduce upgrades sooner rather than later. Horner previously admitted that development will “inevitably” continue throughout the season.