Helmut Marko emphasized that Red Bull knew exactly what it was doing with the extended development of the current Formula 1 car for 2025. The motorsport consultant was responding to comments from McLaren that Red Bull might sacrifice the coming year. Marko jokingly countered: “Toto had the same worries in 2021.”
While McLaren has already stopped development of the 2025 car and shifted all resources to the new regulations for 2026, Red Bull continues to rely on updates. After a new underbody in Monza and a revised front wing in Singapore, the team also brought a modified version of the underbody to the Mexican Grand Prix.
The package also included modifications to the bodywork to improve cooling, a sensitive issue in Mexico City’s thin mountain air.
McLaren taunts Red Bull’s strategy
In the official FIA document, the update was listed as an “underbody upgrade”, but Marko put the meaning into perspective: “The update was primarily designed for cooling performance, because of the thinner air here.” When asked, he confirmed that the underbody had also been revised: “Yes, but it’s all connected. It’s part of the same package with the adjustments for cooling.”
Only Max Verstappen received the new components, while teammate Yuki Tsunoda was running with an older specification.
Some competitors were surprised that Red Bull was still releasing updates for the 2025 car at this late point in the season. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said such an approach would significantly affect McLaren’s 2026 project: “Maybe at Red Bull they are more willing to give up something from 2026 because there are other issues there and they say we are focusing on 2025.”
Marko refers to the 2021 season
Marko reacted calmly: “Toto [Wolff, Mercedes-Motorsportchef] “Thought the same thing in 2021,” he said in an interview with “Motorsport.com.” “At that time, Toto was really worried that we wouldn’t be competitive in 2022.”
A big rule change was imminent back then, too, but Red Bull developed the 2021 car until late in the season and still won both world championship titles in 2022. One difference: Back then, the engine supplier remained the same – unlike in 2026, when Red Bull will be launching its own drive project for the first time.
According to Marko, it is part of the Red Bull DNA to develop for as long as possible: “It is part of our philosophy to work with every rule change until we are sure that we remain competitive. It was the same with the last three rule changes. If others don’t have any major worries, that’s good,” he said with a laugh.
How the team justifies the development strategy
Marko also rejected the suggestion that Red Bull could neglect 2026 in favor of a possible drivers’ title in 2025: “We know what we’re doing.”
There is a clear logic behind the extended development strategy. Team boss Laurent Mekies recently said Red Bull wanted to validate its tools and methods before the full transition to 2026. Getting more performance out of the current RB21 is the best way to confirm these processes and not go into the winter unprepared.
McLaren, on the other hand, according to Stella, has reached a development plateau with the current MCL39, which makes the early focus on the new regulations plausible.
Marko sees no disadvantage for 2026
Despite different philosophies, all teams face the same challenge: resources and personnel must be divided between projects, complicated by budget limits and the aerodynamic test regulations with limited wind tunnel and CFD times.
Marko was nevertheless confident: “It takes a precise plan and very disciplined people – and we have them. That’s why we don’t see any disadvantage for 2026.”