Red Bull had not had a worse start to a season since 2019

Max Verstappen may well carry the house on his shoulders, Red Bull looks like a wounded beast. The result of a radical pilot management policy, or negligence in the development of the car during the years of dominance, the fact is that their position is no longer quite at the forefront this year. Like a tree prone to hiding the forest, the team's four-time world champion tends to make us forget that only Yuki tsunoda managed to score two meager points in favor of the Austrians, where he had already scored 87.

Only the Verstappen-Gasly duo did worse at Red Bull

If we compare the various beginnings of the Red Bull team's seasons over the years, we have to go back to 2019 to find the last five Grand Prix with such low pay. 87 points, in addition to Max Verstappen's total this season, was also the team's total after five rounds six seasons ago.

To add insult to injury, it's worth adding that the sprint format wasn't yet a thing at the time. Overall, the weekends in question didn't include, for example, the eight points earned by the Dutch champion at this year's Chinese Grand Prix. In terms of ratio, the current year is even worse off.

Similarly, at this stage of the season, Pierre Gasly was until then the least prolific teammate for Red Bull. 21 points scored in 2019, a meager total, still ten times higher than that of Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson combined this year. Before the gradual rise of Sergio Perez, managing to score up to 105 points in five weekends during the 2023 season, nor Alexander albon In 2020, neither the Mexican himself in his first two seasons had established himself as competitors to the team leader, always enjoying a very comfortable lead.

2022, the counterexample for Verstappen

Paradoxically, despite a more fragile machine and increased competition, the reigning world champion is still in the title race after five rounds. In fact, he has already started this way before surpassing his rivals over time. In the past, only his 2021, 2023, and 2024 seasons have seen the Dutchman achieve a better debut. In 2022 in particular, despite winning the sprint race at Imola, Max Verstappen scored only 85 points, two fewer than in 2025.

In short, the main loss of points compared to previous seasons is due to the increased difficulty of the second driver. Sometimes, the casting error is put forward regarding the choice of Liam Lawson at the beginning of winter. Sometimes, the RB21's advanced character is put forward as a major argument in the debate.

Having been in better form over the last weekend in Saudi Arabia, the Austrian car is about to undergo further upgrades, the first signs of which have given rise to a "positive surprise" from Verstappen's point of view. Now, with Yuki Tsunoda not having had the opportunity to prove his worth on the streets of Jeddah, the reaction is expected quickly. Without a strong return to business from Red Bull, McLaren risk of taking off, forcing all manufacturers to focus immediately on the 2026 season.

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