Red Bull’s Pierre Waché Reflects on Verstappen’s Imola Victory and Technical Gains
Imola, May 18, 2025 — After Max Verstappen’s hard-fought win at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing Technical Director Pierre Waché gave an insightful and at times candid media round, shedding light on the team’s recent upgrades, tire strategy, and the car’s evolving behavior under changing conditions.
Waché acknowledged that tire performance caught the team by surprise over the weekend, especially in contrast to Friday’s practice data. “The degradation was a different mechanism here,” he said. “The wear and the behavior were completely different from what we saw on Friday… maybe due to the temperature. It was warmer and affecting [the tires] more.”
Despite that, Red Bull made significant strides with its latest upgrade package. “We improved a lot,” Waché stated. “I think the new package gives you the opportunity to improve even more… I think the update was working — winning.”
He described how sensitive the current generation of cars is to small setup changes. “You put one millimeter there, one millimeter here — you’re so narrow [on setup], plus the tires are even more narrow now. It’s so difficult.”
Asked whether the car could perform similarly across different track types, Waché remained cautious. “I don’t have any confidence anywhere,” he said with a wry tone. “We were good in Japan and destroyed in Bahrain and Miami. It’s not granted in this business.”
On strategy, he confirmed the team considered using the medium tires in qualifying, but ultimately opted against it. “It was maybe not necessary. The life of the tire was shameful on Friday,” he noted, suggesting that tire wear patterns heavily influenced their call.
The discussion also turned to Yuki Tsunoda, who ran with different parts than Verstappen after damaging his chassis. “We tried to find a second car… new chassis, new everything,” Waché explained. “It was impressive to put the car back together like that.”
Waché wrapped up the session emphasizing that despite the win, Red Bull must continue pushing. “They [the rivals] are developing — they have a very good car. We still have to push hard.”
