People in the F1 paddock are starting to ‘question’ key Red Bull chief after 2025 F1 season struggles

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Red Bull Racing are facing potentially the biggest crisis in their Formula 1 history.

Since making their debut at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix, Red Bull have become a force of nature in Formula 1.

Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel have won four drivers’ championships each, while Adrian Newey designed six cars that went on to win the constructors’ championship.

However, last season uncovered a critical issue that has been lurking under the surface for some time at Red Bull.

Christian Horner’s team have leaned more and more into Verstappen’s strengths, which has made life increasingly difficult for Sergio Perez.

Perez was dropped by Red Bull at the end of last season, with Liam Lawson given just two races before he was swapped out, and Yuki Tsunoda’s F1 future is in doubt because of his 2025 performances.

One of the biggest concerns for Red Bull is the lack of progress that the team have made in developing their car.

Verstappen wasn’t happy with the decision to drop Lawson, as he believed that the problem was with the car, rather than the driver.

Technical director Pierre Wache is ultimately responsible for this, and there are suggestions that people may be beginning to lose faith in the Frenchman.

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People in the paddock beginning to ‘question’ Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache

A report from The Times has shared more details about what’s going on at Red Bull behind the scenes.

Once Newey had departed Red Bull to join Aston Martin, it was Wache that the team were quick to credit for much of their recent success.

However, Newey’s exit coincided perfectly with Lando Norris’ first Formula 1 victory at the 2024 Miami Grand Prix and a downturn in Red Bull’s form.

Wache is yet to ‘find a solution’ to what’s going wrong with the RB21, and soon Red Bull will need to decide whether to continue working on this year’s car or start to concentrate fully on their 2026 machine.

The upcoming F1 regulation changes are putting more pressure on every team’s technical departments as they try and avoid being left behind by their rivals.

With more and more suggestions emerging that Verstappen is considering a move to Mercedes, Wache is the man under pressure to convince the four-time world champion that Red Bull will be the team to beat in 2026.

However, there are ‘questions’ beginning to be asked in the paddock about Wache’s ability to figure out what’s going wrong at Red Bull.

These concerns have only increased given he’s the man in charge of Red Bull’s 2026 car.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen’s camp surprised by ‘strange’ statement from Red Bull chief who ‘doesn’t know’ what he’s doing

What Max Verstappen’s camp now thinks of Pierre Wache leading Red Bull’s 2026 development

Craig recently suggested Verstappen and Newey weren’t that close, however, they both owe an awful lot to each other, given the success they enjoyed together.

The Dutchman is more than likely to be happy overlooking any personal bugbears he has if the car he’s driving is fast.

It’s been suggested that Verstappen doesn’t trust Wache and the work he’s doing behind the scenes in Milton Keynes.

Wache is getting frustrated with Tsunoda’s underperformance and doesn’t believe the Japanese driver is getting the most out of his RB21.

While that may be true, given Verstappen is arguably the best driver on the grid, Red Bull need to look internally if he’s not challenging for race wins.