The opening to the 2025 Formula One season is fast approaching, and it will be an interesting year for Red Bull Racing fans.
Red Bull was the dominant force in Formula One in 2023, winning all but one race en route to Max Verstappen's third World Drivers' Championship and a back-to-back Constructors' Championship, but it wasn't the same in 2024.
Verstappen was able to clinch his fourth consecutive individual title, but the team slipped to third in the Constructors' standings as it struggled to get to grips with the RB20 across the season.
The hope will be that 2025 will be another successful season for the Milton Keynes-based team, and there are a number of key storylines to follow throughout the year that will have an impact on any potential achievements.
Can the RB21 Perform?
Red Bull walked away from pre-season testing knowing that there is plenty of work still to do to get this year's car, the RB21, up to the level that is typically expected.
Verstappen himself has stated his belief that he does not think the team can win in the opening race in Australia, although it is yet to be seen how close either Red Bull driver can be to the podium.
The biggest question mark throughout this year will arguably be whether or not the team is capable of getting the car to the levels seen in recent seasons, particularly with the likes of McLaren and Ferrari showing that they are now ahead with their car performances.
A wider operating window for the car should help Verstappen keep himself in the WDC hunt, something that should give Red Bull hope that with appropriate upgrades throughout the year, the team can continue to be in the conversation for both titles.
The Max Verstappen Factor
The majority of F1 pundits are predicting McLaren's Lando Norris will claim his first-ever World Drivers' Championship in 2025, with almost everyone also believing McLaren will follow their 2024 success with another Constructors' title as well.
With that, many may be underestimating Verstappen's ability to outperform the machinery around him and continue to put pressure on his rivals, even when it's clear he is in even the third-fastest car on the grid.
His sensational performance in Brazil last year, climbing from P17 to win in torrential conditions, and winning two out of the final four races of the year after a long stretch without a win, should give people pause when considering whether or not the Dutchman can handle a difficult car this year.
He has four individual championships; he has won them all in very unique situations and knows exactly what he needs to do to win - by any means necessary, as some might say.
Verstappen also benefits from being the sole focus of Red Bull's efforts in the Drivers' Standings. His teammate simply needs to score points regularly to help keep the team fighting in the Constructors, but it's Verstappen that will be the focus as an individual.
Other teams, such as Ferrari and McLaren, arguably have two Number One drivers who may take points off each other throughout the season, meaning that Verstappen could have an edge, if he can handle the new car's quirks and challenges, as he isn't likely to be caused too much trouble by Liam Lawson.
That's not to say that Lawson, who has 12 Grands Prix under his belt, won't be competitive during his debut season with the team, but he presents far less of a challenge to Verstappen than Oscar Piastri does to Norris or Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton do to each other.
While the team are no longer that dominant force, you can never count out Verstappen.
Liam Lawson's Debut Season
Lawson enters 2025 on the grid right from the start, which will be a new experience for him. Some people still consider him to be a rookie, while others say that his forays at this level mean he is now too experienced to be viewed as such.
Regardless of whether he's viewed in that way or not, Lawson takes a historically hot seat at Red Bull, as the likes of Pierre Gasly and Alex Albon were both under significant pressure to perform early on.
Teammates to Verstappen have struggled to live up to such high levels of performance and consistency, and that has often led to the team looking for alternatives in their hunt for championships.
However, Red Bull may take a longer-term view to Lawson where they did not in years previous. With the 2026 regulation change on the horizon, there are many unknowns for the team, and 2025 may very well be the last opportunity to claim silverware if the new Red Bull Powertrains-developed engine isn't where they hope it will be.
Former Red Bull driver Christian Klien believes that the team will not have the same expectations on Lawson as they did with previous young drivers.
Talking to RacingNews365, Klien commented: "Where there used to be great expectations immediately with [Pierre] Gasly, for example, you now see that the team has understood that Verstappen is simply different."
"They now know how special Verstappen is and that it would not be easy for any other driver to be at the Dutchman’s side."
"The team has realised that they need to take a different, conservative approach. In doing so, they will give Lawson time, despite the fact that he is not quite a rookie."
He added: "They will not require him to beat Verstappen or even be as fast as him. One is going to give Lawson time and hope that he can compete for podium spots during the season."
If Lawson can finish in the points consistently, perhaps even reaching the podium on occasion, it should help him to secure his place on the team for 2026 and even for the long term.
How he performs in 2025 could have a direct impact on the team's success, and if he struggles, like his predecessor Sergio Pérez, Red Bull could look to someone else, like young starlet Arvid Lindblad.
