Red Flags & White Lies: F1 and Red Bull Without Horner, Verstappen’s 2025 Comeback & The Curse of the Second Seat

Red Bull Racing has long been known in Formula 1 for its ruthlessness, aggressive decision-making, and win-at-all-costs mentality, the very traits that built one of the sport’s most dominant eras. With Max Verstappen securing four consecutive Drivers’ Championships by 2024 and the team claiming back-to-back Constructors’ titles in 2022 and 2023, Red Bull defined modern F1 dominance. But somewhere along the line, that dominance began to slip. Rival teams closed the gap, the grid became more competitive, and for Red Bull, second place was never going to be acceptable.

The 2025 Formula 1 season brought chaos, controversy, and headline after headline for the Milton Keynes outfit. Just two races into the season, Liam Lawson was abruptly demoted from the senior team to its sister outfit, Racing Bulls, switching seats with Yuki Tsunoda. Once again, the infamous Red Bull “second seat” lived up to its cursed reputation, as Tsunoda also struggled to extract consistent performance from the car.

Verstappen’s own start to the 2025 season was filled with frustration. By the halfway point, he found himself nearly 100 points behind Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship standings, hampered by an inconsistent and difficult car that prevented him from performing at his usual dominant standard. For the first time in years, his title defence looked out of reach. But you can never discount Max Verstappen. What followed was one of the most remarkable comeback charges in recent F1 history, as he clawed back points race after race, ultimately finishing the season just two points shy of another world championship.

And then came the biggest shock of all. After 20 years at the helm, Team Principal Christian Horner was dramatically dismissed amid the team’s underperformance and a scandal that had followed him since February 2024. He was replaced by former Racing Bulls Team Principal Laurent Mekies, marking the end of an era and the beginning of a significant power shift within the organisation.

Now, as Red Bull enters the 2026 season with sweeping regulation changes, its first in-house power unit project, a refreshed driver line-up featuring Isack Hadjar alongside Verstappen, and new leadership at the top, the team stands at a crossroads. Can Red Bull reclaim its dominance in this new era of Formula 1, or were the cracks exposed in 2025 signs of a deeper decline?

Featuring real race commentary, driver clips, narration, and in-depth discussion, this episode breaks down the drama, the politics, the comeback, and the future of one of F1’s most ruthless teams.

About the Series: Over ten episodes, Grand Pricks explore every 2025 Formula 1 team in depth, unpacking the drama, decisions, and defining moments, both on track and behind closed doors. Starting from last place in the Constructors' Championship to first, we reveal the stories you didn't see on race day.

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