Red Bull Sends Bold Message Amid McLaren’s Race Dominance

Red Bull Racing refuses to step back in the 2025 Formula 1 season, despite McLaren’s impressive performance so far. Technical director Pierre Waché believes Red Bull can still close the gap, even though the difference between the two teams remains noticeable.

Throughout the current campaign, Red Bull has managed to reduce the performance deficit to just three-tenths of a second per lap. At the beginning of the season, the gap was described as much larger.

So far, Max Verstappen has mostly carried the team’s challenge. The reigning champion finds himself 49 points behind Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship, following a penalty in Spain that pushed him down to 10th place at the finish.

After nine rounds, Red Bull trails McLaren by 218 points in the constructors’ standings. While Verstappen remains competitive, teammates Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have struggled to consistently score points, making Red Bull’s position even tougher.

Waché has acknowledged McLaren’s big step forward that started last year. He pointed out that McLaren out-developed everyone mid-2024 and found the right setup for their car, while Red Bull continued with similar car traits as in past seasons.

Even as Verstappen extracted more from the car, the issues faced by the second driver, such as Checo Perez, became more apparent. Waché emphasized that McLaren chose a different path in car performance and it has paid off.

Despite these setbacks, Waché insists Red Bull isn’t solely building the car around Verstappen’s driving preferences. He explained that teams often can’t predict issues until they actually impact results.

Limited resources and testing options mean that development paths sometimes only become questionable with the benefit of hindsight. Waché candidly admitted that, based on current knowledge, Red Bull’s car is faster than before, but still not quite enough.

Red Bull’s technical team remains focused on bringing new developments to close the gap with McLaren. Waché expressed confidence, stating that if he didn’t believe improvement was possible, all efforts would already have moved on to the next season’s car.

He highlighted McLaren’s strength in all key areas, but stands by Red Bull’s ability to compete head-to-head with further advancements.

McLaren’s consistency so far has reshuffled the order at the top, with Oscar Piastri leading the drivers’ standings on 186 points and teammate Lando Norris in second with 176.

Ferrari and Mercedes follow in the constructors’ table, while Red Bull now holds fourth with 144 points. This marks a clear switch from previous years when Red Bull dominated the series.

The season continues with the Canadian Grand Prix scheduled for June 15 at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. Red Bull is counting on fresh upgrades and team resolve to keep the title fight alive.

With more races to come and both drivers and engineers showing determination, the battle at the front of Formula 1 is far from settled.

John Martinez

John Martinez delivers real-time NASCAR Cup Series and Truck Series news, from live race updates to pit-lane strategy analysis. A graduate of the University of Northwestern Ohio’s Motorsports Technology program, he breaks down rule changes, driver tactics, and championship points with crystal-clear reporting.