Red Bull Holds Crisis Meeting After Bahrain GP Struggles

In the aftermath of a tough Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull senior officials are holding an "intensive" meeting.

According to Thomas Maher of PlanetF1, a meeting is taking place with Red Bull team boss Christian Horner, technical director Pierre Waché, advisor Helmut Marko, and chief engineer Paul Monaghan.

The RB21 has received acclaim as a difficult car to drive, featuring several design flaws that lead to limited peak performance and speed, while also encountering issues with tire wear.

Intensive meeting going on down at Red Bull, with Horner joined by Waché, Monaghan, and Marko. #F1 #BahrainGP
— Thomas Maher (@thomasmaheronf1) April 13, 2025

Max Verstappen finished the race in P6, a position that did not accurately reflect the car's potential.

Red Bull demonstrated the fourth-best speed on the track, with its higher placement primarily due to tire wear issues experienced by Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes.

More News: Red Bull RB21 Struggling with 'Temperatures' at the Bahrain Grand Prix

There were several issues with pit stops from the team, as the lights were not turning green to alert drivers when they could leave the pits.

This problem plagued both Tsunoda and Verstappen and marks a significant procedural error that the team had not been committing over the past few years.

The team is typically well-trained and executes with minimal errors; however, there is a notable drop-off across the team in Bahrain.

More News: Max Verstappen: RB21 'Too Slow' After Red Bull 'Struggle For Pace'

The Red Bull is seemingly in a position to challenge for any kind of title this season, even if a regulation change potentially limits McLaren, since the team has fallen behind Mercedes and Ferrari, who brought a massive upgrade this weekend.

Today wasn’t fully our race… but we still brought home our first double points of the season ✌️💪

We’ll regroup, and come back swinging in Saudi 🇸🇦

Result 🏁: PIA, RUS, NOR, LEC, HAM, Max 🙌, GAS, OCO, Yuki 🫶, BEA#F1 || #BahrainGP 🇧🇭 pic.twitter.com/C8qHOXQfRb
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) April 13, 2025

The next Red Bull upgrade is scheduled for Imola, which is still a few races away. However, the discussions held after the race may result in more drastic changes to the timeline of updates or potentially lead to restructuring within the team.

The meeting highlights the tumultuous time Red Bull has faced, marked by countless scandals, staff poached by other teams, and seemingly constant internal bickering and power struggles.

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Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz passed away a few years ago, leading to a power struggle within the energy company and its racing team.

Max's father, Jos Verstappen, has also been a key figure in the dynamic, as he has reportedly attempted to have Horner removed as team leader.

The elephant in the room for Red Bull is the challenge of having a driver like Max on the team, which constantly places pressure on the team to provide him with a performance car to keep him satisfied.

The team has placed all their eggs in the Verstappen basket, for better or worse. This can lead to several titles for the team, as he has achieved over the past few years, or it can result in consistent crisis meetings when expectations are not met.

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