Horner: Red Bull's Imola upgrades gave first tyre longevity advantage over McLaren in 2025

Christian Horner: Red Bull's Imola upgrades gave them tyre longevity advantage over McLaren for the first time in 2025.

Max Verstappen secured a dominant victory at Imola, with Christian Horner claiming Red Bull's updates to the RB21 finally gave them superior tyre management compared to McLaren.

Red Bull building momentum

Verstappen's win reduced the gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri to 22 points. Unlike previous races, Verstappen's victory wasn't reliant on luck or specific track characteristics.

After a challenging start where he dropped to third, Verstappen executed a brilliant move around the outside of George Russell and Piastri into Turn 2, seizing a lead he would not relinquish.

The RB21's initial performance this season was marked by strong single-lap pace but a lack of outright speed and, crucially, tyre management issues compared to McLaren's MCL39.

However, updates introduced at the Saudi Arabian, Miami, and Emilia Romagna Grands Prix weekends transformed the car. Verstappen secured a front-row start and, after taking the lead on lap one, comfortably extended his advantage – a feat not seen from Red Bull earlier in the season.

Imola upgrades included revised sidepods and floor changes, mirroring McLaren's mid-wing concept. This allowed the RB21 to excel in tyre preservation, a stark contrast to previous races. Verstappen's ability to execute a one-stop strategy with minimal tyre degradation highlighted this improvement, while Piastri struggled with tyre graining and pitted early.

"I think, definitely, we’ve managed to put some performance on the car and to get the car into a better window," Horner told the media. "As soon as you take away the sliding, you’re able to manage the temperature a lot better. That was really encouraging."

Horner noted the first stint was particularly positive, with Verstappen managing his tyres effectively while building a gap. "So you get the longevity. It’s the first time in quite a while that we’ve been in that position."

He believes this tyre management advantage over McLaren is the first seen since a pivotal race in late 2024, also won by Verstappen.

"On Friday, the McLarens again looked very, very fast on the long runs, but, to have the pace that we did in the race, I would say it’s probably since Brazil last year... is the first I can remember in a long time we’ve had the pace to really pull away and out-deg the McLaren," Horner stated. "So that’s very encouraging, and a great result for the effort that’s gone in behind the scenes."

Red Bull's 2024 car struggled with performance regressions despite upgrades, partly due to wind tunnel data not correlating with real-world results. Horner expressed confidence that the team has made progress in addressing these correlation issues.

"I think we’re starting to understand and, obviously, we’re dealing with the upgrades that were mainly focused on characteristics, rather than ultimate downforce," he said. "We’ve managed to address, hopefully subtly, some of the characteristics, which is encouraging for the upcoming races."

However, questions remain about whether the Imola circuit's low tyre degradation characteristics masked the RB21's true performance. Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché acknowledged the tyre wear was different at Imola but declined to elaborate.

"Clearly, the wear and the surface of the tyre were completely different than what we saw Friday," he said, adding that McLaren remains a strong competitor.

Horner concluded that the team is improving and building momentum, highlighting the win in Imola and a strong performance in Japan. "It’s been a very positive weekend and we’re beginning to build a bit of momentum, which is important at this stage in the championship."