Red Bull has unveiled a wholly unsurprising livery for the Formula 1 car with which Max Verstappen will defend his world drivers' championship in 2025.
Verstappen battled to his fourth consecutive F1 title in 2024 as Red Bull's early performance advantage was obliterated by a combination of McLaren's clever use of flexible aerodynamics and Red Bull struggling to develop the RB20 without creating a car balance disconnection between the front and rear.
Red Bull released two renders of the livery for that car's successor - the RB21 - during F1's official season launch at the O2. The actual car with which Verstappen will be gunning for his fifth consecutive drivers' world championship is due to be shaken down in Bahrain on February 25th.
"The team has worked very hard over the winter to work on some of the vices of RB20," said team boss Christian Horner. "We’ve had a good winter and we’ll get the first indication of have we managed to address some of the issues.
"We managed to improve them during the course of the latter third of last year. And we’ll see if we’ve managed to go a step further over these early races."
Verstappen will be partnered this season by Liam Lawson, after Sergio Perez agreed to terminate the new contract he signed last summer to drive for the team through 2025 and 2026.
Perez's underwhelming performances in Red Bull's increasingly tricky 2024 car were the chief reason Red Bull lost last year's constructors' championship to McLaren.
"Liam’s job is quite clear," Horner explained. "He’s there to provide as much support as he possibly can.
"There’s not an expectation for him to go out and beat a four-time world champion. If he beats him, then fantastic and there’s no order to say he can’t. But it’s a matter of trying to take the pressure off Liam as best we can."
Legendary designer Adrian Newey's departure to Aston Martin also means RB21 will be the first Red Bull F1 car conceived wholly without his input since the RB3 of 2007.
