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Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko revealed issues with Max Verstappen's car that brought him down to qualifying P7 during the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix. This is the lowest the Dutchman has qualified this season.
Although the Red Bull is not even remotely the dominant force this season, Max Verstappen has managed to put his RB21 within the top five of every race start, converting his pole to a victory last week in Japan. Heading into Bahrain, however, he faced some major brake issues during the qualifying session that he kept reporting to his team. Helmut Marko recently admitted the same.
"We were not satisfied with Max. We had huge brake problems in Q3. We don't have an explanation for that yet," Marko said (via GPBlog).
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He also mentioned that they are trying to analyze the complete reason and would get in conversation with the FIA to seek and make changes to the brakes.
"First, we need to identify the cause," he added. "Then we have to consult with the FIA to see if, for example, it is allowed to replace the brake pads. But first, we have to figure out what the problem is."
Although his victory last week at Suzuka puts him in a strong position to battle for the World Championship, Max Verstappen is far from winning in Bahrain. The track does not promote plenty of overtakes, moreover, the McLarens look extremely strong. Lando Norris is set to start right ahead of the Red Bull, which will give the latter quite a challenge.
Max Verstappen shares his thoughts on his current World Championship campaign
Verstappen has won the last four World Championships, breaking multiple records as he achieved this, and has been determined every single season. However, with Red Bull's performance seemingly below par in 2025, it is a tough challenge for the Dutchman to accomplish.
While he might be seeking his fifth title, he recently mentioned that he is not in competition with the McLarens.
"They are not my competitors at the moment. I am only participating in the championship," Verstappen said.
He further commented on the pace that RBR has this season, saying:
"I don't think we had a great chance this season (for the win). Only in Suzuka can you be on pole in qualifying if others make mistakes. That puts you in a good position. Sunday was fortunately cooler, so there was less tire degradation. And you can't overtake there, as has been proven."
Red Bull has already had three drivers for them this season. They initially started out with Liam Lawson in the second car, but he was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after just two races. The latter joined forces with Max Verstappen in Japan but is yet to deliver a strong performance.
