Red Bull to debut RB21 car at Bahrain filming day

Red Bull has set a date for the debut of its RB21 Formula 1 car, with Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson pressed into action at a filming day in Bahrain on Tuesday 25 February.

Autosport understands Red Bull will shake down its 2025 challenger one day before the new season properly gets underway with three days of official testing at the Sakhir circuit.

World champion Verstappen will log his first miles with his new car, and his new team-mate Lawson will also take the wheel of the RB21 ahead of his official Red Bull debut in Bahrain.

As per the updated regulations, teams are allowed to complete up to 200km per launch date on Pirelli demonstration tyres. Last year Red Bull opted to hold its filming with Verstappen and Perez at Silverstone, a day which was affected by rain.

Red Bull previously confirmed it is foregoing its own launch event, revealing its 2025 livery alongside all the other teams at F1's launch event at the London O2 Arena on 18 February, with F1 hosting the one-off event to celebrate its 75th anniversary.

That event means several outfits, like Mercedes and now Red Bull, are heading straight to Bahrain for testing before unveiling their actual 2025 car designs, whereas the likes of Ferrari and Williams are still hosting their own launches.

Speaking at the Autosport Awards on Wednesday, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was hopeful his squad would be in the mix again this year after dropping to third in last year's constructors' championship, calling 2025 too close to call between McLaren, Ferrari, Mercedes and his own outfit.

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Andrew Ferraro / Motorsport Images

"I think it's going to be super tight. You're going to have four teams that are going to be very competitive, so take your pick," Horner said, before collecting the International Driver of the Year award on behalf of Verstappen.

"But McLaren are going to be strong. Ferrari are going to be strong. Mercedes are going to have something to prove as well. So, it could be a stellar year."

With the RB21 Red Bull is aiming to cure some of its predecessor's balance issues that derailed a large part of its 2024 campaign, but will face a development programme which - like all teams - it must balance with work on the all-new 2026 regulations.