"It's not good enough" - Max Verstappen gets honest about Red Bull's car improvements ahead of Bahrain GP

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull still has work to do in broadening the RB21’s performance window ahead of the 2025 Bahrain GP. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the reigning champion admitted that the car’s current operating range remains too narrow, making it challenging to consistently extract peak performance across a variety of circuits and conditions.

Red Bull’s Achilles heel since 2024 has been the car’s limited performance window—an issue that has affected drivability and tire performance. Max Verstappen has repeatedly voiced concerns about this, noting that the only weekends where he felt fully comfortable pushing the limits were in Brazil and Las Vegas last season.

Looking ahead to Bahrain, Verstappen acknowledged that while Red Bull took a step forward with a win in Japan, the layout there—with fewer high-speed corners—played to the team’s strengths. In contrast, Bahrain’s abrasive surface and warmer conditions could expose the RB21’s sensitivities once again.

While Max Verstappen doesn’t believe the RB21 is more difficult to manage than its predecessor, the RB20, he insists that expanding its performance window is crucial if the team wants to stay competitive throughout the year. For the Dutchman, being able to push hard and adapt to versatile conditions at every track remains a top priority.

Asked by Sportskeeda how much progress Red Bull had made in terms of improving the narrow performance window on the RB21, Max Verstappen replied:

“Yeah, it's not good enough at the moment, but we know that.”

Further elaborating on the improvement compared to the progress made in Japan, he added:

“Yeah, it's a very different track naturally, so the setup will be of course a bit different. But hopefully you pick up from some learnings in the car, what it likes or doesn't most of the time but yeah hopefully we can start in a bit more of a stable window. I think it will be a little bit more stable naturally just because of the layout of the track there are not that many like super high -speed corners. But again as soon as you want to try and go for the ultimate performance in the car it's a very narrow window at the moment.”

Asked if the operating performance window of the car was narrower than the one on the RB20, Max Verstappen said:

“I don't think so, but it's also not necessarily much bigger at the moment, so we need to definitely find more.”

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Max Verstappen believes the Bahrain GP weekend will be a difficult one for Red Bull

Noting the impact of warmer track temperatures and Bahrain’s abrasive asphalt on tire degradation, Max Verstappen believes the upcoming race weekend could further expose Red Bull’s vulnerabilities. Speaking ahead of the weekend, the Dutchman drew parallels to the Australian GP, where the team struggled with excessive tire wear and overheating—and admitted that Bahrain could present even greater challenges.

Max Verstappen explained that the RB21’s narrow performance window makes it particularly sensitive to extreme conditions, and the Sakhir circuit’s layout, combined with surface characteristics, will test their ability to manage tires effectively across the race stint. While Red Bull found some respite in Suzuka thanks to falling temperatures and limited overtaking opportunities, the reigning champion expects Bahrain to be more punishing in terms of strategy and tire life.

The only silver lining, Max Verstappen noted, is the cooler evening race conditions, which may ease some of the tire wear issues. However, he remains cautious, acknowledging that the team will need to be at their sharpest to manage the weekend effectively and remain in the hunt amid fierce competition. However, the Dutchman felt that Red Bull was not in the most ideal position on paper in 2025 compared to McLaren. He felt it was up to the team to make the improvements and improve the tire behavior of their car in due course.

Asked if the Bahrain circuit will be a better indicator of their weaknesses or their place in the pecking order, Max Verstappen said:

“It will be more severe. I mean, the first thing in Australia we got destroyed also with the overheating and deg [tyre degradation] in general. Same in China. I would say to a certain extent also in Suzuka that you can't pass because then the grids closing up to me in the end of that first stint again and I knew that was coming. I was just driving to my own pace, but I think because the track time dropped quite a bit on that, on the day it helped a bit."

"And here, yeah, it's going to be hot, of course we drive in the night, so will cool down a little bit, but it's still hot, aggressive tarmac. So on paper, from what we've seen so far this season, that's not ideal for us compared to McLaren. But yeah, it's up to us of course to try and find those improvements in the car or tire behaviour and just go from there.”

Red Bull currently sits third in the Constructors’ Championship with 61 points, trailing leaders McLaren by a significant 50-point margin. While the title race is still in its early stages, the gap highlights the challenges the 2023 champions are facing in 2025. Despite that, Max Verstappen remains firmly in contention in the Drivers’ Championship, sitting just one point behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.

With the field continuing to close up and both Mercedes and Ferrari expected to be competitive in Bahrain, Ferrari notably bringing a new floor upgrade, the pressure is mounting on Verstappen and Red Bull to deliver a strong response. The Sakhir circuit’s high tire degradation and strategic complexity will demand precision, and Red Bull’s narrower operating window may be tested once again. For Verstappen, the Bahrain GP presents a crucial opportunity to either close the gap to Norris or reclaim the championship lead. In a season where consistency could be more valuable than outright dominance, maximising every race weekend will be vital, especially with four teams now in the mix for top honours.