Red Bull Racing is adopting a daring high-risk strategy for the rest of the 2025 Formula 1 season, prioritizing rapid development and learning over conventional championship tactics. Despite Max Verstappen trailing Oscar Piastri by 69 points, the team is focusing on performance breakthroughs that could dramatically alter their title chances.
Red Bull’s Unconventional Approach Under Laurent Mekies
After Verstappen’s strong wins at Monza and Azerbaijan, team principal Laurent Mekies explained that Red Bull’s approach deviates from the usual cautious maneuvers of championship contenders. Instead of playing it safe, the team is embracing aggressive development, aiming to close the gap to McLaren across various types of circuits.
“We’re trying to take a high-risk approach, so we learn as much as we can at the end of the season first, and that takes precedence over discussions about the championship or anything else,”
Mekies stated following Verstappen’s commanding performance in Baku.
This philosophy represents a significant shift from typical strategies that focus on protecting points and reducing risks. Red Bull willingly accepts potential setbacks to achieve transformative gains in performance. Mekies emphasized the urgency behind this gamble, given the current points deficit Verstappen faces.
“This approach is necessary because the gap between Max and Oscar is significant. We can’t count on McLaren making mistakes too often,”
Mekies explained, highlighting the challenge Verstappen confronts in the title fight.
The strategy has led to bold decisions in car setup and tire selection. For instance, Verstappen advocated for an extremely low downforce setup at Monza, despite some internal resistance. In Baku, he uniquely opted to start on hard tires among the top four qualifiers, a move Mekies confirmed was pushed by Max himself.
How Red Bull’s Learning-Focused Mindset Is Impacting Results
The team has intentionally accepted difficult race weekends to collect vital data for development. Mekies admitted to taking calculated risks that sometimes placed the drivers in challenging situations.
“We took risks in Budapest, and it was an extremely poor weekend. We put our drivers in a difficult situation, but we do that to learn,”
Mekies acknowledged.
This willingness to embrace short-term difficulties is beginning to pay off, as shown by the upgrades to the RB21 chassis, including a new floor introduced at Monza. These changes have confirmed that the team’s gamble is improving the car’s performance more broadly, not just on select tracks.
Back-to-back victories demonstrate that Red Bull is making genuine strides in understanding and expanding the car’s limits. With seven races left in the season and signs that McLaren might be faltering under pressure, Red Bull’s risky strategy could spark the turnaround Verstappen needs to keep his championship hopes alive.
Laurent Mekies: "We're trying to take a high-risk approach, so we learn as much as we can at the end of the season first, and that takes precedence over discussions about the championship or anything else."
"This approach is necessary, because the gap between Max and Oscar is… pic.twitter.com/H9CwAF5fYD
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) September 23, 2025
