'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen disagreed with team principal Christian Horner's assessment of the team's underperformance in the 2025 season ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. The Austrian team has largely dominated the current generation of cars and has won two of the three Constructors' Championships in this era of regulations.
However, since the middle of the 2024 season, the former world champions have been on a downward slope in terms of performance and have slipped back behind their rivals, McLaren and Mercedes. The Milton-Keynes outfit was able to mask some of its car's issues last year due to the consistent performance of the Dutch driver and winning the fourth consecutive drivers' championship.
But the glaring issues have reared their ugly heads at the start of the 2025 campaign. They have managed one win from the first four races and are sitting P3 in the Constructors' Championship.
Trending
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner pinned the blame on the correlation issues with the old wind tunnel and differing setups, saying (via GPBlog):
"That was successfully done in 2022 and 2023. Of course, with those new regulations, but it was the same wind tunnel and before that of course. In 2021, we had a fairly strong car, and at the beginning of the regulations in 2014, 2015, and 2016, Red Bull also had a strong car. Just not the engine then.’’
However, Max Verstappen did not agree with his team principal's assessment and added:
"I wouldn't pin everything on it.’
Heading into this weekend's race in Jeddah, Max Verstappen is eight points behind Lando Norris in the driver standings and sits in P3.
Max Verstappen previews the Saudi Arabian GP
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said he enjoyed racing at the Jeddah International Circuit in Saudi Arabia but was unsure of the RB21's performance in the 2025 season after winning last year's race at the track.
In the pre-race press conference, the 27-year-old previewed the weekend and said:
"Yeah, last year was great. I mean, I enjoy this track. It's very challenging. It's tough, anti-clockwise, and in the race as well, your neck really feels it here. It’s very hard to know, of course, how we’re going to perform this year, but this year has been a little bit more difficult than the start that we had last year and the year before.
"Nevertheless, I enjoyed last year and the year before when we were really competitive and dominated races."
Verstappen has never finished outside the Top 2 on the grid at the end of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in the four editions and has two victories to go along with two P2 finishes in 2021 and 2023.
