Red Bull says it will have to "inevitably” devel꧟op the RB21 until the final race of the 2025 Formula 1 season if it remains involved in the tight fight.

F1 is introducing a new set of regulatio♕ns in 2026, with both the chassis and the engine rules set to be completely revamped next year.

In the past, teams have often paid the price of continuing development of a current car💟 when a rule change was on thꦜe horizon. Conversely, BMW Sauber gave up its focus on the 2008 title fight to prioritise the development of the F1.09, only for its strategy to backfire the following year.

Red Bull is facing an even bigge🔯r challenge ahead of the next rules cycle, as it is developing an in-house power unit for the first time in history.

Christian Horner on Red Bull RB21 development

But tea꧙m principal Christian Horner feels it is important to balance the deployment of resources between the RB21 and its 2026 challenger, especially with Max Verstappen expected to 🧸be in the hunt for a fifth straight title this year.

Asked if Red Bull will have to develop its 2025 F1 car until the end of the year to continue its winning streak, Horner said: “Inevit꧅ably, depending on how the championship plays out. But you’ve got to keep developing.

“In this business, if you're standing still, you're going backwards. And of course, there's that dilemma wi🔯th next year's regulations—where you apply resources, where you don't.

“But inevitably, you've got to keep chasing performance, keep gett🥂ing perf🌳ormance on the car.”

Verstappen finished second in a wet opening round of the season in Au🍬stralia last weekend, benefit🐈ing from troubles for several rivals to end up just nine tenths behind McLaren’s Lando Norris.

Verstappeඣn had qualified third in Melbourne with a best time of 1m15.481s, which was five tenths quicker than the lap he set to grab pole position at the same track in 2024.

Horner said RB21 is already a step forward to Reꦉd Bull’s 2024 contender, but the team will have to continue development on the car to fight with McLaren for the championship.

“We can see by the lap times—everybody's going significantly quicker,” he said. “I t💃hink we’ve significantly changed certain characteristics of the car. It gives us a broader base from which to work with now.

“It𝓡’s a development race between now and Abu Dhabi in December, so it’s going to be a nine-month marathon𒈔. From what we saw in Melbourne, if the racing’s like that all the way through, it could be a bumper year.”