After Red Bull’s disastrous outing in Bahrain last weekend, they needed a response, and it seems they have got that, thanks to the upgrades they brought in Saudi Arabia. Max Verstappen had a decent Friday showing as he set the third fastest time in FP2 behind the two McLarens. However, the gap was not much, as less than three tenths separated the top three.
Moreover, Yuki Tsunoda also had a decent FP2—barring his mistake that led to a hefty crash—as he set the sixth-fastest lap. So, with a somewhat improved outing so far by Red Bull in Jeddah relative to their horror show last weekend in Bahrain— where Verstappen finished 34 seconds off the race winner in P6—team advisor Helmut Marko seems to be far more satisfied.
“I think that was the best Friday in a long time,” the Austrian said per Motorsport-Total. He explained how the team made several changes since last weekend that have helped them get much closer to the McLarens.
“The car had been rebuilt between practice sessions, and these changes were heading in the right direction,” Marko added. “We made various setups, and it worked for the qualifying lap. We’re much closer to the McLarens”. That said, he still believes there are some serious concerns that the team still needs to address.
“On the long run, the tire wear and tire temperature are unfortunately too high,” the 81-year-old stated. Verstappen also admitted that while they have improved considerably since last weekend, the overheating of the tires continues to be a concern, as this results in excessive wear on the long runs.
Max: “Car is very loose, in high speed especially.”
GP: “You can come through for a flap adjust.”
Max: “Yeah, maybe four clicks off.”
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) April 18, 2025
This seems to suggest that even if Verstappen were to somehow produce one of his masterclass performances and qualify on pole—as he did in Japan earlier this month—fighting for the win would be incredibly hard because their cars’ tires are likely to wear out much faster than the McLarens.
The Woking-based outfit has been quite sublime with its tire wear ever since their series of upgrades midway through 2024 propelled them to the front of the field. Relatively, Red Bull‘s issues have amplified in the past 12 months with the RB21 now being quite erratic in terms of its mid-corner balance, causing their tires to overheat and wear more.
Fortunately, Jeddah is a track where tire wear isn’t as much of an issue as was the case in Bahrain. With a one-stop strategy as the standard on a lesser abrasive asphalt and fewer hard braking zones, Verstappen can look to nurse his tires well in the Grand Prix if Red Bull can somehow mitigate the overheating to some extent.
One thing is clear, though, is that their upgrades have worked. The Milton Keynes-based outfit have enlarged the central exit of its engine cover (coke) to improve reliability and have also brought a new beam wing. Will this help Verstappen clinch his second win of the season or at least be on the podium again in Jeddah? The answers will unveil in the next two days.
