Former IndyCar driver James Hinchcliffe has praised Red Bull for its decision to pursue performance at the end of 2025, despite its slow start to the new year.
Red Bull opted to continue the investment in its car last year as it closed down the gap to leaders McLaren.
Max Verstappen narrowly missed out on a fifth F1 title by two points as Lando Norris held on to seal his maiden championship.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has admitted Red Bull is paying the price for the development decision this year, having endured a highly challenging opening three rounds to the season.
But Hinchcliffe has insisted it was the right call for the team to make.
“I love it,” Hinchcliffe told the F1 Nation podcast. “It was the right call.
“With everything changing in 2026, you just have no idea where you’re going to stack up.
“Even if you dedicate all your resources to it – look at Williams as an example.
“But in 2025 they still had a shot. It’s so difficult to have a shot, to be in a position to fight for a championship.
“If you even have a remote chance to do it, you have to go for it.
“And I love that. Laurent said that was the attitude within the team, nobody wanted to give up, everybody thought it was still possible.
“They came within two points of getting it done. It nearly, really paid off for them, even if you pay a little bit of the price in 2026, there were just so many question marks around it anyway.”
Verstappen was as far as 104 points behind the championship lead at the mid-point of the campaign before the car took considerable steps forward.
While it installed a sense of motivation inside Red Bull, Hinchcliffe asserted it was a positive development for fans.
“I think they did the right thing,” he said. “From our seats, it made the end of 2025 way more exciting.
“So selfishly, it was good for us and good for the sport.
“But from a team standpoint, it was the right call, because those opportunities can be fleeting and you’ve got to jump at them when you can.”