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Max Verstappen is no stranger to pressure, but the 2025 season has already cast a glaring spotlight on his role as Red Bull’s lone savior. While the Dutchman opened the year with a podium in Australia and a gritty fourth-place finish in China—keeping him second in the championship with 36 points—the team’s reliance on him to salvage their Constructor’s Cup hopes is more glaring than ever. The catch? Red Bull’s second seat, occupied by rookie Liam Lawson, has become a liability.
A DNF in Melbourne and a 12th-place finish in Shanghai have left the team leaning entirely on Verstappen’s brilliance, raising questions about sustainability in a sport where teamwork makes the dream work.
Max Verstappen’s lone charge
Red Bull’s struggles aren’t new, but their dependency on Verstappen has reached a tipping point. While the Dutchman’s ability to wrestle uncompetitive cars into contention remains unmatched—evidenced by his charge from sixth to fourth in Shanghai—the cracks in Red Bull’s foundation are widening. The RB21, once a symbol of dominance, now trails McLaren and Mercedes in raw pace. Max Verstappen himself admitted the car feels like the “fourth quickest” on the grid, a stark contrast to the machinery that delivered three straight titles.
The team’s woes extend beyond engineering. Lawson, promoted amid high hopes, has faltered under the weight of F1’s steep learning curve. His struggles echo Red Bull’s recent missteps in nurturing young talent. The decision to favor Lawson over seasoned options like Yuki Tsunoda—a proven performer at AlphaTauri—has backfired, leaving Verstappen without a wingman to share points or strategy burdens. This isn’t just about Lawson’s growing pains; it’s a reflection of a deeper systemic issue. Red Bull’s famed driver academy, once a pipeline for stars like Sebastian Vettel, now churns out prospects ill-prepared for the top seat.
Compounding these problems is the departure of design guru Adrian Newey, whose absence has left a void in car development. Rivals like McLaren and Ferrari, meanwhile, have closed the gap with smarter upgrades, exposing Red Bull’s reliance on past glory. Even Max Verstappen’s heroics—dragging the RB21 beyond its limits—feel like temporary fixes. As team principal Christian Horner juggles new engine regulations and internal turbulence, the clock is ticking to address a fraying infrastructure.
A ticking time bomb for Red Bull
Verstappen’s brilliance has long papered over Red Bull’s flaws, but the 2025 season threatens to unravel the illusion. The Dutchman’s frustration is palpable, and history shows even legends have limits. With Mercedes and McLaren capitalizing on Red Bull’s stagnation, the team risks not just losing ground in the standings but also alienating their star driver.
For Horner, the path forward is fraught. Reviving the RB21’s competitiveness, nurturing Lawson (or reconsidering Tsunoda), and navigating new engine rules are Herculean tasks. But the biggest challenge? Proving to Max Verstappen that Red Bull can still build a title-winning machine—before he decides they can’t.
In Formula 1, dynasties crumble faster than they rise. Red Bull’s fate now hinges on more than just Verstappen’s magic. It’s a race against time, and the checkered flag is nowhere in sight.
