“Mystery Surrounding Red Bull”: Max Verstappen’s Poor Day 3 Test Raises Suspicion on Car’s Performance

Max Verstappen winning races and championships became a norm in F1 between 2021 and the early stages of 2024. Since then, things haven’t quite been going the Dutchman’s way, with only his strong start to the previous campaign helping him win the title. Red Bull lost the Constructors’ and there are no signs that suggest they will re-take it in 2025.

McLaren and Ferrari were regarded as the favorites heading into the new season, and the three days of pre-season testing only reinforced that belief.

Verstappen, however, seemed surprisingly confident on the first day of the three-day outing in Bahrain. After the morning session, the Red Bull driver stated that “everything was under control.”

As it turns out, things are not quite under control. In fact, nothing seemed certain, adding an air of mystery to their upcoming season.

RacingNews365’s Ian Parks, who was in Sakhir for testing, pointed out the downward trajectory taken by the RB21 in terms of performance on days two and three. “I’d love to get his [Verstappen’s] thoughts at the end of today [day 3] as to how he felt that car had gone overall.” 

Parks added that Red Bull had experimented with the set-up a lot and might have even brought a new front wing and floor. However, whether they had used the new floor on day one and reverted back to an older spec later or vice versa remained unknown.

“…for once, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has not confirmed—which is highly unusual for him—is when that floor was used. All a little bit of a mystery surrounding Red Bull,” Parkes stated.

With the issues yet to come to light, it’s difficult for those outside Red Bull to accurately gauge their standing or predict their place in the pecking order. However, if there are problems to be resolved, they must be addressed quickly as less than two weeks remain until the 2025 season officially begins.

Red Bull long way behind favorites McLaren

For the first time since 2020, Verstappen will head into a new season without the confidence of having a winning car—unless Red Bull was sandbagging or somehow finds significant pace in the coming weeks.

Both scenarios seem unlikely, as the RB21 does not appear nearly as stable as McLaren’s MCL39, which even Ferrari admitted was the fastest challenger in pre-season testing.

Balance issues plagued Red Bull’s 2024 season, and early signs suggest they could be in for another year of Verstappen struggling with the car’s handling. The fact that Liam Lawson spun on track on the very first day—one that was otherwise considered solid—is not an encouraging sign.

Red Bull still has time to find solutions, but a clearer picture of their true standing will emerge once FP1 kicks off in Melbourne on March 14.