Red Bull Technical Director Pierre Wache is adamant that the team won’t give up on a title battle in Formula 1 in 2025 to get a head start on the rule change next season.
The teams will have a conundrum across the upcoming campaign as they must split resources between their current cars and the 2026 machines to revised regulations.
That will provide an additional headache to those expected to be located at the sharp end due to the restriction on aero testing, coupled with the existing cost cap in place.
Red Bull will be well-versed in understanding that hitting the ground running upon a reset can lead to sustained success, doing so when the rules were last revamped in 2022.
But Mercedes proved during the 2021 title fight with Red Bull that pivoting complete attention to another season doesn’t ensure that it will eclipse a rival that diverted later.
With 2025 poised to have the leading quartet matched close in competitiveness, Red Bull has revealed that it will not back down should a championship be attainable.
“[The balancing act] will depend massively on what you find as well,” Wache told Autosport. “If you find a lot for 2026, then the temptation is there to put a lot of effort on 2026.
“But if we have a chance to fight for the championship in 2025, and I think we will, then you will never throw away a championship.
“It will be a difficult decision for sure. We will go with a strategy at the beginning of the season, and that strategy has a massive chance to change.”
Red Bull has ‘potential big advantage’ for rule change
Max Verstappen’s fourth consecutive Drivers’ title in 2024 wasn’t enough to help Red Bull retain the Constructors’ Championship as issues with the RB20 saw it drop to third.
However, that has guaranteed that Red Bull will receive more wind tunnel testing time than McLaren and Ferrari, which could be advantageous with a refresh on the horizon.
“It is potentially a big advantage for 2026, and I hope that we use it properly,” Wache added.
Red Bull aero increase won’t make or break 2026 hopes
But Wache, who is overseeing work on the RB21, has warned that one saving grace to Red Bull’s tribulations in 2024 won’t make or break the squad’s budding prospects.
“It is not because you’ve got more money or more wind tunnel time that you will perform better,” the Frenchman added.
“Otherwise, people at the back would always be first in the following year. That is not how it works in Formula 1, but it could be an advantage and we have to use it well.
“It is a positive aspect of our position, so it can be quite positive.”
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