Max Verstappen finished a disappointing 6th in the Bahrain Grand Prix for Red Bull. Now the management admits that the entire season is lost.
Oscar Piastri secured McLaren's first ever win in Bahrain. Max Verstappen finished sixth for Red Bull. This came after a weekend of major problems for the Austrian team in Bahrain. Lando Norris continues to lead the world championship.
Piastri's victory was special for McLaren, whose main shareholder is the Bahraini royal family. It was a major triumph for the British team at an important track.
George Russell took a strong second place for Mercedes. He was investigated by race management after the race. He had accidentally activated his DRS wing too early.
Russell, however, received no penalty. He gained no sporting advantage from the mistake. The Mercedes driver is now fourth in the World Championship standings, just 14 points behind Norris.
For Max Verstappen and Red Bull, the race was a big disappointment. The Dutchman fought his way to sixth place on the final lap, the best result possible for Red Bull that day.
Red Bull struggled with speed in Bahrain
Verstappen was clearly frustrated after the race. "Everything that could go wrong, went wrong," he said. The car simply lacked speed in Bahrain compared to its competitors.
Red Bull experienced several technical problems during the race. The brakes were annoying the drivers, making it difficult to control the car optimally during braking.
The tires also got too hot and lost grip quickly. This negatively affected the lap times. The team struggled to find the right tire strategy.
The team's pit stop equipment also failed en route, meaning the drivers did not get the necessary green light to exit, costing Red Bull valuable pit time.
Verstappen's manager was seen in discussion with Dr. Helmut Marko, the team's special advisor. The atmosphere seemed tense after the poor result in Bahrain.
Criticism and reactions at Red Bull
Marko was clear in his criticism after the weekend, calling the performance "not acceptable" and "very alarming", underlining the seriousness of Red Bull's sudden dip in form.
Team principal Christian Horner tried to play down the situation a bit more, calling it a "bad weekend" for the team, and openly admitting that nothing went Red Bull's way from start to finish.
Horner mentioned problems right from the start of the race. The cars didn't get off the starting line well. That put them back in the field right away.
The pit stops also did not function optimally, in addition to equipment failures. Tire wear and high tire temperatures were also major challenges for the team.
"When you have a car with good balance, everything goes a lot easier," said Horner.
He thus pointed to the car's lack of balance as a core challenge in Bahrain.
Horner, however, stressed that the championship is a long one. "There are 24 rounds in the championship," he said optimistically. Red Bull is only eight points behind McLaren in the drivers' championship standings.
"We know how to make progress quickly," Horner added.
However, he still believes in the team's ability to analyze data and improve the car quickly. They aim to come back strong.
Verstappen was already pessimistic after Saturday's disappointing qualifying. After the race, he described himself as, if nothing else, 'just a participant in this year's World Championship'.
He no longer sees a fifth World Cup title in his sights. At least not in 2025.
Verstappen specifically pointed to McLaren's impressive pace. They were around half a second faster per lap. It seemed like an insurmountable gap for Red Bull in Bahrain.
Lando Norris now leads the championship by eight points to Verstappen. However, Norris was self-critical after the race in Bahrain. He believed he should have secured second place instead of Piastri.
Red Bull's problems in Bahrain show the fickleness of Formula 1. One lap a team can dominate, the next they can struggle with technique. That Verstappen may be lost to the team is supported by a persistent rumor of 9 billion kroner. Read more about it here .
