Red Bull Reveals Major Obstacles For 2025 F1 Car As It Shifts Focus To Ford Collaboration

Saajan Jogia | Oct 13, 2024

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Sergio Perez (11) during the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has revealed that the team's 2025 car, the RB21, will be an evolution of the current RB20, with only necessary changes being implemented considering the existing cost cap limitations. Horner also acknowledged the short-term challenges the team will endure as it shifts focus to its in-house F1 facility, Red Bull Powertrains, partnering with Ford to develop the 2026 title challenger.

Horner emphasized that the RB21 will inherit several components from the current car, much like how the dominant RB19 was carried into 2024. He explained that in an era of restricted spending, developing new parts is only justifiable if the changes deliver a substantial performance gain.

Adding to the team's financial challenges is the big investment being made for the new era of regulations starting in 2026 when Red Bull will have its own power unit. In an interview with Autosport, Horner said:

“In this business, you're always juggling and you've got to put one foot in front of the other.

“You can't project too far into the future. Long term in F1 is about two and a half months and, basically, what we learn this year is relevant to next year.

“So next year's car will be an evolution of this year's car. I mean, there's many components of last year's car that have been carried over into this year, because with the way the cost cap works, unless there's significant performance upgrade, it doesn't make sense [to change].”

Despite the huge investment in Red Bull Powertrains, Horner acknowledged that the team will run into challenges in the early stages, considering it has created a "start-up business" that inches forward aggressively to become a seasoned organization. He added:

“It is by far our biggest challenge.

“We’ve created a start-up business, aggressively recruited 600 people into it, built a factory, put in the process and brought a group of people together to work within a Red Bull culture that has been so successful on the chassis side.

“Of course, many have come from other teams, competitors and suppliers in F1, and that's a massive undertaking to get 600 people and all your processes, your supply chain, everything geared up to deliver for two teams in ’26.

“We also have the benefit of a great partner in Ford Motor Company and that relationship is working very well. But inevitably there will be short-term pain, but there is a long-term gain of having everything under one roof with engineers.

“We've already seen the benefit and the difference of having chassis and engine engineers sitting essentially next to each other as we start to integrate the ‘26 engine into the ‘26 car.”