F1 pundit disappointed by Red Bull in 2025: 'The team that I know so well...'

09:46, 15 Aug

Updated: 10:06, 15 Aug

byEstéban den Toom

Robert Doornbos was asked what the most painful story from the first half of the Formula 1 season was: Lewis Hamilton’s early months with Ferrari or Red Bull Racing’s struggles with Max Verstappen. Here’s what the former Red Bull driver had to say.

''It's two different stories,'' Doornbos started in the The Pit Talk Podcast. ''As a professional athlete, you look at Lewis Hamilton and you think 'Okay he's one of the all-time greats.'

''A seven-time world champion that moves to Ferrari. I want to see him, you know, deliver and I want to see him make life difficult to Charles Leclerc. But that's more like on the sporting side, very disappointing.''

Verstappen in the GP of Hungary, Red Bull Contentpool

Verstappen at the Hungaroring, Red Bull Contentpool

Doornbos on Red Bull's season

On the other hand, you have the story of Red Bull Racing. The Austrian outfit, including with Verstappen, is not near Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with McLaren.

''On the bigger story, the team that I know so well, Red Bull, and to see them struggle and to see them just go downhill like this, that's the bigger story,'' the former Formula 1 driver concluded.

In the first half of 2024, Max Verstappen got off to a strong start, building a gap over Lando Norris.

However, in the latter part of the season, the Red Bull car proved slower than McLaren’s. The Austrian team has continued to trail Zak Brown and Andrea Stella’s squad since the start of the 2025 season.