Max Verstappen Calls For Red Bull To Step Away From Convention With 2025 F1 Car

Saajan Jogia | Dec 29, 2024

Oct 20, 2024; Austin, Texas, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen talks to team mates at the starting grid at the Formula 1 Pirelli United States Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas. Mandatory Credit: Aaron E. Martinez-Imagn Images / Aaron E. Martinez/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has asked his team to step away from the car's conventional looks on the 2025 RB21 F1 car and "spice it up a little bit." The four-time world champion preferred the aesthetics of Red Bull cars of the past with a glossy paint finish instead of the matte blue color that has been prominent in recent years.

However, it remains to be seen if Red Bull will take notice of Verstappen's preference, as it works on a title contender without the inputs of the team's former chief technical officer and legendary designer Adrian Newey for the first time, who moves to Aston Martin as the team's managing technical partner and shareholder in March 2025. Despite his exit, Red Bull aims to develop a car that has a wide working window for Verstappen to dominate a variety of circuits and not limit the car's potential to a particular type of circuit.

The Dutchman revealed that he will get to see his car in its finished form at the launch of the 2025 season on February 18, where all ten Formula 1 teams will unveil their F1 cars at an event in London’s O2 Arena to mark 75 years of Formula 1. Speaking on Red Bull's Talking Bull podcast, he was asked how soon he would see the RB21. He said:

“Well, when I come back to the factory the first time, you will get a bit of an idea.”

When asked if he was looking forward to the launch of the 2025 season, he said:

“I am looking forward to seeing my own car.

“The livery, I hope it’s a bit different. I was actually talking about it today, I actually really like these cars as well [pointing at older Red Bulls behind him, ed.] with the shiny colour.

“We’ve had so many matte-blue cars, but I think sometimes it’s just nice to spice it up a little bit.”

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner had hinted that the RB21 could be launched at the end of January. However, an official announcement of the car's separate launch before the 2025 season launch event has not been made yet. Horner said:

“This is the first time that Adrian [Newey] will have had absolutely no input into the car.

“That’s for the team to step up to that challenge.

“I’m confident they can do that. They've got strength and depth and we’ll see what the RB21 looks like when it's unveiled at the end of January.”