Christian Horner has candidly acknowledged that Red Bull's 2025 car bears a "visually very similar" appearance to its 2024 counterpart.
The team released shadowy images of the 'new' car on Tuesday, just as Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson geared up for a filming day in Bahrain prior to official testing.
Observers within the paddock remarked that the RB21 appears nearly indistinguishable from last year's model.
"The devil is in the detail," team boss Horner insisted.
Last year's internal strife at Red Bull prompted Adrian Newey's departure to Aston Martin, where he will begin work on March 3.
"I don't think about it too much," reigning champion Verstappen said when informed that the 2025 car is the first Red Bull in years not crafted by Newey.
"He's not here anymore - that's how things are. I have a lot of respect for what Adrian did for Red Bull, I have a great relationship with him, and I am happy for him to start a new project," the Dutchman is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Following a "few laps" in the new car on Tuesday, Verstappen noted that he "felt comfortable."
"We know in which areas we didn't look good in 2024, and we have been working on that. Once we start pushing a little harder, we will quickly understand whether it has paid off," he added.
The four-time consecutive drivers' champion stated he has therefore set "no goals" for the 2025 season.
Joining him is new teammate Liam Lawson, who Dr Helmut Marko says is expected to provide stronger support to Verstappen than Sergio Perez did.
"Liam's job is pretty clear," said team boss Horner. "He's there to try and help as much as possible. There aren't many expectations for him to go out on track and beat a four-time world champion.
"If he beats him, fantastic, there's no one here telling him he can't do that. But it's just about taking the pressure off him."
Horner appears to accept that Verstappen, 27, may not enter the final year of the current rules cycle as the frontrunner.
"Sometimes it's nice not to be the favourites," he said. "It puts the pressure on others, so I'd be quite happy to see Lando (Norris) go into the first race as favourite. But it doesn't mean much until we're on track.
"And even when we are, Albert Park is a pretty unique circuit."
Meanwhile, Horner's rival Toto Wolff seized the moment of the 2025 Red Bull unveiling to take a subtle jab at his fellow team principal.
When asked about Verstappen and Horner facing boos at the recent O2 Arena event, the Mercedes chief replied: "I don't think Max was booed.
"We shouldn't belittle an event that was great just because one person, rightly or wrongly, was booed when he spoke."
When playfully questioned if he joined the crowd in jeering Horner, Wolff smiled: "There were 15,000 people doing it, so there was no need for me to do it too." body check tags ::
