2025 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[Jurgen von Diaz]

Marko said their updates were successful. Where is the pace?

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I just checked the onboards, and reason probably was that Tsunoda asked to pit for a new set of tires with ~3 minutes to go in Q2. He didn't have any new softs left at that point, though, so the team denied and told him to do a 2nd push lap on the same set.

Theoretically he could have switched to new mediums, but I honestly think staying out was the right call.

Ah, I thought he said something about traffic or strategy, and on Ted's notebook, Ted said Yuki thought the RB's slowed him down (possibly they had traffic too, and held him up?). Not sure how accurate that is, but it seems to fit the original quote from Yuki a bit better. Who knows.

Could be something completely different as well. On Reddit someone posted a Japanese interview, which reads even more cryptic:

Q: On the lack of grip of the soft tires

A: “We have been talking since yesterday about the lack of grip on the soft tires, but this time it wasn't just a problem with the tires. There were other problems, but I can't go into details."

Q: What happened in the last attack?

A: “There was no particular cause for concern. I can't go into details, but it wasn't just a tire problem today. I just couldn't give it my all.

Q: What did you mean when you said after your last attempt in Q2, "I knew this was going to happen.

A: “I can't comment on that.”

[f1isgood]

I have a feeling that Redbull have blundered by wasting their 2nd medium in FP3. They ran a hard in FP1 for a few laps, but I don't know whether they have 'handed it back' or are keeping it for the race. Max has 1H, 1M and a bunch of used softs. The C6 won't last much on the Redbull (even if it does on the McLaren and Ferrari) so that would be bad starting tyre, unless there is a red flag over the first 4-5 laps ; which can't be predicted. I have a feeling they have blown their podium chances vide their sub optimal tyre allocation choices.

The track being Monaco it doesn't matter. Race pace is irrelevant. The C6's will be just fine to hold cars behind. Maybe Red Bull will do Hard-Medium-Soft strategy I guess.

Only way I see anything change in the top 5 positions is through some mess up.

[f1isgood]

Also, I'd be more willing to take Yuki seriously if he was even a shade closer to Max. He's just slow. He's slower than the Racing Bulls. Sure he lacks "feeling" with the car and the car has it's issues but his experience was supposed to help him come in terms with the car but right now he seems to lack adaptability. Same as Liam. Scoring 0 points versus scoring 2 to 3 points does not make much difference to the team.

Hadjar reminds me of a potential champion with how he's driving. Hope he gets the seat next year.

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Hadjar reminds me of a potential champion with how he's driving. Hope he gets the seat next year.

hopefully not this year already, for the sake of his career

[f1isgood]

Hadjar reminds me of a potential champion with how he's driving. Hope he gets the seat next year.

hopefully not this year already, for the sake of his career

The thing though is no potential champion ever looked out of sorts when they were in an F1 car. There was always flashes. I don't think it matters as much as people think it does. Either you are good enough or you are not, as far as being a champion goes. Beyond that it's a spectrum.

[Wouter]

I think the car is better than last year. They just don't work on the C6 and the C6 was not used last year. He would have been much closer if everyone qualified on C5.

Car is the same as last year... in Monaco. It has the exact same strengths and weaknesses sector by sector. Good in S1 when the tyre is alive, strong through Massenet (though McLaren has clearly improved massively there compared to 2024), absolutely terrible in the slow and twisty bits of S2 where it's all front grip, and then okay but not great in the final sector depending on the condition of the tyre.

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I still disagree. The car was jumping like a kangaroo last year. Their pace on the medium tire was competitive, just as it was in Imola. The C6 is where it all came undone.

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Max said yesterday the car was better than last year in S2 and the car wasn't jumping like a kangaroo like last year.
It was the C6 why the car was bad. On the C5 the car was better on track.

[Vettel165]

I would say the perfect weekend and damage limitation well done would be. Leclerc wins with Norris in second place, Max goes third. Piastri in 4. Place.

Will see i have a feeling we will see a suprising new winner. Because one driver will benefit from a safety car or a red flag more then others.

[pantherxxx]

The medium tyres will work better on the Red Bull. With a good start and the right strategy, and maybe with a little bit of luck. Verstappen can still win.

[avantman]

Car is the same as last year... in Monaco. It has the exact same strengths and weaknesses sector by sector. Good in S1 when the tyre is alive, strong through Massenet (though McLaren has clearly improved massively there compared to 2024), absolutely terrible in the slow and twisty bits of S2 where it's all front grip, and then okay but not great in the final sector depending on the condition of the tyre.

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I still disagree. The car was jumping like a kangaroo last year. Their pace on the medium tire was competitive, just as it was in Imola. The C6 is where it all came undone.

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Max said yesterday the car was better than last year in S2 and the car wasn't jumping like a kangaroo like last year.
It was the C6 why the car was bad. On the C5 the car was better on track.

Max said this, Marko said that blah blah blah. You guys are paying too much attention to what they all say.
Reality is Max was whole 2 tenths faster on S2 last year having only one run in Q3 compared with his faster run through S2 this year. And he was slower by the same 2 tenths through that slow speed section of S2 (on his 1st Q3 run where he didn't make mistakes)
The only place of the lap where he was in fact faster this year was the final two corners, faster by 2 tenths. C6 tire overheating could not really big too much of a problem either, because he was just as fast as Leclerc and Piastri through the final two corners and only got beaten by Lando there.

[f1isgood]

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I still disagree. The car was jumping like a kangaroo last year. Their pace on the medium tire was competitive, just as it was in Imola. The C6 is where it all came undone.

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Max said yesterday the car was better than last year in S2 and the car wasn't jumping like a kangaroo like last year.
It was the C6 why the car was bad. On the C5 the car was better on track.

Max said this, Marko said that blah blah blah. You guys are paying too much attention to what they all say.
Reality is Max was whole 2 tenths faster on S2 last year having only one run in Q3 compared with his faster run through S2 this year. And he was slower by the same 2 tenths through that slow speed section of S2 (on his 1st Q3 run where he didn't make mistakes)
The only place of the lap where he was in fact faster this year was the final two corners, faster by 2 tenths. C6 tire overheating could not really big too much of a problem either, because he was just as fast as Leclerc and Piastri through the final two corners and only got beaten by Lando there.

I think it's more only a tenth that Max loses with his error or going wide in his last lap. He loses already in S1. Also he gains ~3 tenths in the last two corners.

Turn 1 was suboptimal even if we got a 18.2 in the end in S1. There was more left me thinks. Again P4 being the best possible but we didn't see the car's potential.

[venkyhere]

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Max said yesterday the car was better than last year in S2 and the car wasn't jumping like a kangaroo like last year.
It was the C6 why the car was bad. On the C5 the car was better on track.

Max said this, Marko said that blah blah blah. You guys are paying too much attention to what they all say.
Reality is Max was whole 2 tenths faster on S2 last year having only one run in Q3 compared with his faster run through S2 this year. And he was slower by the same 2 tenths through that slow speed section of S2 (on his 1st Q3 run where he didn't make mistakes)
The only place of the lap where he was in fact faster this year was the final two corners, faster by 2 tenths. C6 tire overheating could not really big too much of a problem either, because he was just as fast as Leclerc and Piastri through the final two corners and only got beaten by Lando there.

I think it's more only a tenth that Max loses with his error or going wide in his last lap. He loses already in S1. Also he gains ~3 tenths in the last two corners.

Turn 1 was suboptimal even if we got a 18.2 in the end in S1. There was more left me thinks. Again P4 being the best possible but we didn't see the car's potential.

https://i.imgur.com/oO78N5g.png

It's plain to see, the RB21 doesn't like the C6. If it was the RB20 with the C6 the lap wouldn't even have been below 1.11. The last two turns - well that's just Max being Max.

[Sergej]

hard for Max, mmmm