Red Bull lambasted by Sky F1 pundit after 'dreadful' driver decision

Red Bull team photo after Japanese GP win — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Red Bull lambasted by Sky F1 pundit after 'dreadful' driver decision

The team's second seat has been a points black hole for more than a year

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Sunday 27 July 2025 14:44

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Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has picked out a 'mistake' made by Red Bull in their team planning.

The internal structure of the team has unravelled over the last year, with Adrian Newey, Jonathan Wheatley, head of strategy Will Courtenay, chief engineering officer Rob Marshall and now Christian Horner all heading out of the door.

Results have dropped off from the team's dominant 2023 heyday, missing out on the constructors' championship last season thanks to a dreadful season from second driver Sergio Perez.

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Perez was replaced by Liam Lawson over the winter, who was himself supplanted by Yuki Tsunoda after just two races after looking like a fish out of water in the tricky Red Bull.

Tsunoda himself has struggled mightily to approach his team-mate's pace, with Verstappen now responsible for 173 of the team's 180 points after Sautrday's sprint race at Spa.

Brundle: Red Bull driver choices look dreadful

Brundle claimed on Sky Sports this weekend that Red Bull have 'momentum', before Natalie Pinkham asked: “Well, they or Max? Because ultimately without Max, they’d be languishing at the bottom of the table.”

Brundle agreed, saying: “This is the crux of it, I think the mistake they’ve all made at Red Bull is allowing it to become a one-driver team.

“The tail’s wagged the dog there for quite a long time. They’ve had some what appears to be dreadful driver decisions that had some common sense upfront, when they put a driver in who was going well somewhere else.”

Verstappen appears set to remain at Red Bull for at least one more season into the new regulations in 2026, with Mercedes rumours having dropped off in the last week.

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