Red Bull to unveil RB21 at one-day shoot in Bahrain
Max Verstappen and his new teammate Liam Lawson will launch their 2025 season with a day of filming in Bahrain.
Red Bull has set the date for the presentation of their RB21 race car, with Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson taking to the track during a filming day in Bahrain on Tuesday, February 25th.
A proper shakedown
According to Autosport, Red Bull will conduct a shakedown of its 2025 car one day before the official start of the pre-season testing, which will take place over three days at the Sakhir circuit.
The world champion Max Verstappen will complete his first laps with the RB21, while his new teammate Liam Lawson will also get behind the wheel before his first official Grand Prix with Red Bull in Bahrain.
In accordance with the updated regulations, teams are allowed to cover up to 200 km per launch day using demonstration tires provided by Pirelli.
Last year, Red Bull chose to organize its filming day at Silverstone with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, but the rain disrupted the session.
Red Bull has already confirmed that it will not hold a dedicated launch event this year. Its new design will be unveiled alongside other teams during the F1 presentation event at the O2 Arena in London on February 18, a unique initiative to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the championship.
Several teams, such as Mercedes and now Red Bull, will head directly to Bahrain for testing before unveiling their actual cars, while others, like Ferrari and Williams, will hold their own presentations.
A highly competitive 2025 season
Speaking at the Autosport Awards on Wednesday, Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, expressed his optimism about his team’s chances after falling to third place in the constructors’ championship in 2024. He believes that the battle for the title in 2025 will be extremely tight between McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes, and Red Bull.
« I think it will be very tight. There will be four very competitive teams, so make your choice », said Christian Horner before receiving the International Driver of the Year trophy on behalf of Max Verstappen.
« McLaren will be strong. Ferrari will be strong. Mercedes will also have something to prove. So, it could be an exceptional season. »
With the RB21, Red Bull aims to address the balance issues that disrupted much of their 2024 campaign.
However, the team will also have to manage its development program while preparing for the transition to the new 2026 regulations, a challenge that all teams will face.
