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Max Verstappen in 2025 Chinese GP (Photograph: x)
The RB 21 is struggling with pace as Max Verstappen is the only one who puts them on a pole or inside the top 5. His teammate Liam Lawson is racing his own in the backend which shows the contrast between Red Bull cars 1 and 2. The Dutchman was brave enough to put in an outstanding effort to finish P2 in the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. Even at the 2025 Chinese GP sprint he managed to finish in P3. But the qualifying session was too difficult for him as the car had no pace compared with his rivals at McLaren.
'If at all retire'- Max Verstappen
The reigning F1 world champion clearly understands the pace difference between Red Bull and its rivals. After qualifying the fourth fastest on the grid Verstappen hilariously took a jibe at his team Red Bull. After the qualifying session, he met the media in the paddock and was asked about his chances of winning the 2025 Chinese Grand Prix. Max hilariously said, “If they all retire in front of me.” Verstappen wanted the cars in front of him (Oscar Piastri, George Russell and Lando Norris) to retire and that is the only way they could win the 2025 chinese GP.
Verstappen added, “We are not fast enough. I think the lap was alright, but just very difficult to get a, let’s say, consistent balance out of it, every lap, every corner, basically. So it was tough, but we are working on it. We trying to do better.” The Red Bull driver said the team is doing everything they can but the basic pace of the car is lacking which is pulling them down from going fast. Though Max Verstappen qualified in P4 his teammate Liam Lawson shockingly qualified in the last place in P20.
The Kiwi got the Red Bull seat from Sergio Perez who also faced the same issue with the car’s handling and balance. Lawson talked about improving and reducing his errors during races. Let us see whether the Kiwi can finish in the top 10 which is too difficult in today's Formula 1 standards. The 2025 F1 Chinese Grand Prix will be about team strategy and tyre management from the drivers. So anything can happen if the front-end drivers fail to manage their tyres. Max Verstappen was the previous year's winner of the race in Shanghai.