Despite Max Verstappen’s win in Japan last weekend, the spotlight never truly shifted away from the RB21’s underlying weaknesses. The Dutchman repeatedly pointed out issues that needed addressing, and Red Bull’s underwhelming performance in Bahrain only reinforced his concerns.
Verstappen was never in the hunt for pole, qualifying a modest P7 and gaining just one position during the race. Despite his best efforts, he continued to battle poor grip and inconsistent handling.
The RB21 suffers from fundamental conceptual flaws that make it sluggish and unpredictably balanced. These were further aggravated by brake troubles on the #1 car. Even after an overnight change of brake pads, Verstappen still struggled with the same problem during the race.
Now, the alarm bells have finally started to ring over at Red Bull. As reported by Thomas Maher of Planet F1, the top brass of the Milton Keynes-based outfit have called for an emergency meeting in the immediate aftermath of the Bahrain GP.
This includes all the prominent members of Red Bull’s hierarchy, including team principal Christian Horner, technical director Pierre Wache, chief engineer Paul Monaghan, and chief advisor Helmut Marko.
Intensive meeting at Red Bull right now with the following team members:
Horner
Wache
Monaghan
Marko— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) April 13, 2025
With news of the meeting going viral on social media, the F1 community weighed in on the seriousness of what seems to be a grave situation. Some even went as far as to call for drastic changes, including a complete overhaul of the team’s top management.
“Every single one of them out,” one fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
every single one of them out https://t.co/omF3w3JCre
— meg¹ (@maxsredbull) April 13, 2025
The frustration among Red Bull and Verstappen fans is palpable. Just over a year ago, they were the most feared team on the grid—a well-oiled machine set to dominate the sport for years to come. Now, they are slowly sliding back into the midfield, and to many fans, it’s the incompetency and complacency at the top that’s to blame.
Naturally, fans want to see accountability. That is why one supporter said, “From having the fastest car with the most wins in F1 history to this tractor, all under the same regulations? Heads need to roll.”
From having the fastest car with most wins in F1 history to this tractor, all in the same regulations? Heads need to roll.
— Papi Horner (@PapiHorner) April 13, 2025
Tough times for Red Bull and Verstappen.
Verstappen’s verdict
So far in 2025, Verstappen has outperformed in the RB-21. With a podium and a win under his belt, Red Bull’s issues were somewhat being overshadowed by Verstappen’s brilliance. But the car was so bad in Bahrain that Verstappen was simply defenseless.
Not only was the Dutchman struggling to eke out any sort of pace from the car, but the pit crew also seemed rattled by the chaos surrounding their lack of performance. Two of Verstappen’s pit stops during the Bahrain GP were excruciatingly botched and slow, with the second one releasing him dead last.
LAP 27/57
Verstappen is having a difficult race. He pits for the second time this evening. His first stop was slow and so is this one.
He comes back out in last place but he’s already making up ground #F1 #BahrainGP pic.twitter.com/0CxUN9CwCj
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 13, 2025
Speaking to the media after the Grand Prix, Verstappen expressed his frustration and didn’t hold back in criticizing what he called a disastrous evening for the team..
“Everything went wrong, everything. A big problem and then the pit stop – I don’t know what went wrong there either. That was of course a catastrophe. As well, the hard tires didn’t work at all,” he said.
Verstappen slipped down to third in the standings as a result of the horror Sakhir outing. With 69 points, he’s now eight behind leader Lando Norris and five behind Piastri in P2.
