Red Bull is prioritizing a wider operating window over raw performance for their 2025 Formula 1 car, following performance inconsistencies in the latter part of 2024.

Despite Max Verstappen securing his fourth consecutive drivers' championship, Red Bull's dominance waned after winning seven of the first ten races in 2024. Team principal Christian Horner attributes this decline to an upgrade introduced around Imola that, while increasing overall speed, significantly narrowed the car's performance window.

The upgrade made the car particularly challenging to drive consistently, with optimal performance achieved only within extremely precise parameters. While Verstappen could adapt to these limitations, teammate Sergio Perez struggled considerably with the narrow operating window, ultimately leading to his departure from the team.

Engineers are now focused on developing a more versatile car for 2025 that can perform consistently across different circuits and conditions, rather than pursuing maximum performance in ideal conditions. This strategy shift follows encouraging signs from late 2024, including strong performances in Austin, Brazil, and Qatar, where the team showed improved understanding of their car's characteristics.

The last two victories of 2024 came in the final four rounds, suggesting Red Bull's development direction is promising for 2025. However, Horner acknowledges that competition remains fierce, with rival teams continuing their own development programs.

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