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The absence of Max Verstappen on Day 2 of the 2025 pre-season testing in Bahrain raised questions among fans and pundits alike. However, Red Bull’s Technical Director, Pierre Wache, has now provided clarity on the situation. The team opted to give full-time rookie Liam Lawson an entire day behind the wheel of the RB21 to aid in his preparation for the upcoming season opener in Australia.
Liam Lawson's performance and Red Bull's strategy
On Day 2 of testing, Liam Lawson completed 91 laps and finished in seventh on the timesheets, just under a second behind leader Carlos Sainz. However, Lawson’s time wasn't reflective of pure speed; instead, Red Bull focused on longer race simulations using heavier fuel loads rather than chasing outright lap times.
F1 commentator Karun Chandhok pointed out that Lawson was unable to complete a full race simulation without interruptions. Red Bull carried out several unscheduled stoppages, and Lawson’s morning session was cut short by more than half an hour. As a result, Red Bull posted the fewest laps of any team that day, with all other teams exceeding 100 laps.
Weather conditions impacted testing
Red Bull’s efforts were further hampered by unfavorable weather conditions. Team advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that rain affected their testing plans.
We were a little bit handicapped with the rain, and we couldn’t do all our programmes, Marko said.
Despite these setbacks, Red Bull’s engineering team was still impressed with Lawson’s performance.
Wache commented positively on Lawson’s feedback, highlighting that it was closely aligned with that of Verstappen. This suggests that Red Bull’s development process is progressing well, despite the interruptions.
We have good understandings to take into the final day of testing now, with Max at the wheel, Wache added.
Red Bull’s road ahead: maximizing the RB21 setup
Looking ahead, Red Bull is focused on ensuring that their car is ready for the challenges of the 2025 season. Last year, the team struggled with balancing the contrasting driving styles of Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez. Verstappen prefers a car with strong front-end responsiveness, while Perez favors a more stable rear end, making it challenging for the team to fine-tune the RB21 for both drivers.
As Verstappen returns to the car for the final day of testing in Bahrain, Red Bull will be eager to gather additional data and work on perfecting the car’s setup. With Ferrari showing strong pace on Day 2, the reigning champions are determined to be fully prepared for the season opener in Australia.
