Formula 1 paddock has ‘increasing doubts’ about giant £2.1bn team ahead of 2025 season

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The 2025 Formula 1 season is shaping up to be a thriller. The current campaign has developed into a gripping affair, but the gap between Max Verstappen and Lando Norris has removed some of the jeopardy.

Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races to establish a comfortable lead at the top of the drivers’ standings. While he and Red Bull have struggled since, a dramatic finale remains unlikely.

He retains a 52-point advantage over Norris heading into the United States Grand Prix later this month. With six races and three Sprints remaining, he certainly can’t begin to celebrate.

However, barring a DNF – and Verstappen has only suffered one all year in an era where the cars are becoming increasingly bulletproof – his consistency should keep Norris at bay. Red Bull will bring an upgrade to Austin which could enable him to compete for wins again.

Indeed, it feels as if one more Verstappen victory could bury the title fight for good. While they now lead the constructors’ standings, Norris and McLaren haven’t maximised their opportunities in the drivers’, allowing Ferrari and Mercedes to divide six wins between them.

But when the points are reset next year, there could be four teams and eight drivers who legitimately believe they have a chance at the title. The final year of the current ruleset, it should be the closest of all.

Fears grow about Max Verstappen and Red Bull before 2025

Red Bull put together the most one-sided season F1 has ever seen in 2023, and they retained their advantage at the start of this year. But since then, they’ve arguably suffered the biggest drop-off of any team.

The team have made a series of missteps in the development of their car, which many have attributed to the impending departure of legendary designer Adrian Newey. Rather than seeing the performance gains they anticipate, they often appear to have gone backwards.

According to Sport Bild, there are now ‘increasing doubts’ in the paddock about how Red Bull will fare in 2025. McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari will be wary of underestimating Christian Horner’s all-conquering squad but their current trajectory is a concern.

The feeling is that the ‘power struggle’ between Horner and Helmut Marko has taken its toll on performance. In addition to Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley and head of strategy Will Courtenay are leaving the team.

Christian Horner airs ‘very, very big concern’ amid Red Bull win drought

Last time out in Singapore, Norris romped to victory by more than 20 seconds. While Verstappen was satisfied with the damage limitation of second place, it was the second time in four races that the Briton had beaten him by this margin.

Marko said Norris’ pace was ‘extraordinary’ at Marina Bay. The McLaren pit wall ordered him to pick up the speed, and what followed was an ominous display of his cushion.

If anyone looks likely to dominate at the beginning of 2025, it’s the Woking outfit. And it was only recently that the F1 world expected Red Bull to maintain their stranglehold until the 2026 regulation changes.

Horner says Red Bull have taken some ‘useful’ learnings from recent races, but warned that they’re ‘very, very different’ to the Circuit of the Americas. And with only one hour of practice before Sprint qualifying, it’s far from the ideal time to introduce significant updates.