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Red Bull Plans Upgrades to Compete with McLaren

Red Bull Racing is targeting a series of upgrades in the upcoming “three to five races” to address its performance gap compared to McLaren, according to team advisor Helmut Marko.

In the early stages of the new season, reigning world champion Max Verstappen and his teammate Liam Lawson have found themselves trailing behind McLaren, which demonstrated its speed during preseason testing in Bahrain and continued that momentum at the Australian Grand Prix.

At the season opener, McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri secured the front row, finishing three-tenths ahead of Verstappen. In the race, while Verstappen’s new partner Lawson suffered an early exit, Piastri’s spin gave Verstappen the opportunity to finish in second place behind Norris, helping mitigate the impact of the race.

Marko acknowledged that tyre management was a crucial factor contributing to the differences in race performance between the two teams. He revealed that while Red Bull initially lagged by half a second in Bahrain testing, they have managed to close that gap to two or three tenths. However, Red Bull struggles with premature tyre degradation, limiting their competitiveness.

“We understood from testing that the McLarens had a notable advantage,” Marko said in an interview. “While we can remain competitive for the first six to eight laps, our ability to maintain tyre performance deteriorates more quickly.” He emphasized ongoing work to address this issue, expressing optimism that upgrades could equalize the two teams’ performance.

As Red Bull seeks to enhance its competitive edge, the team is under pressure to make gains before attention shifts toward the significant regulatory changes coming in 2026.

Reflecting on the difficulties the team faced last year, Marko noted the challenges of finding an optimal balance for their 2024 car. Team principal Christian Horner, however, remains positive about the stability of their 2025 model, suggesting that refining the front-to-rear balance could alleviate some of the tyre wear problems they have encountered.

“When a car is well-balanced, it changes the entire dynamic,” Horner explained. “This year’s car exhibits calmer characteristics compared to our previous model, which allows us a solid foundation for development throughout the season.”

As the team moves forward, the focus will remain on enhancing performance in the short term while preparing for future challenges in the sport.

Source
www.motorsport.com