"Red Bull's updates did not work after Newey's departure," claims Verstappen
Although he is hopeful that Red Bull manages to find a remedy for its technical issues in the upcoming season, Jos Verstappen reckons that the upgrades that the Milton Keynes-based outfit brought after the departure of star designer Adrian Newey did not work.
Having clinched the victory in all but one race in 2023 in an utterly dominant year for Red Bull, the Milton Keynes-based outfit started last year's campaign in a similarly dominant fashion.
Max Verstappen won the opening two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia before retiring from the lead in Round 3 in Australia with a brake issue. However, he then went on to win in Japan, China, Imola, Canada and Spain to clinch seven victories in the opening ten races.
However, he then failed to win in the following ten rounds, but the São Paulo Grand Prix saw the Dutch driver emerge victories in wet weather conditions. The Dutch racer finally clinched the drivers' title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix to become a four-time F1 world champion.
Asked about how optimistic he is ahead of the upcoming season, his father, Jos Verstappen added: "I'm a little doubtful. Red Bull needs to build a car that is more predictable in all conditions.
"Looking at the second half of 2024, you can't be optimistic. Red Bull just hasn't managed to make the car consistently fast, so why should that be the case this year?
Pushed on to reveal whether he recognizes any links between Red Bull's technical woes and Newey's departure, the Dutchman said: "I think so. As for Newey: It is a fact that the car did not improve when he left the team.
"In particular, the updates no longer worked as intended. I have talked enough about the reasons why the team is in danger of falling apart. Let's leave it at that. One thing is certain: Red Bull has a big task ahead of it in 2025."
Verstappen reiterated that his son is still hungry for more victories at the pinnacle of motorsport which means that he will only stay with Red Bull if the Austro-British outfit can provide him with a competitive car.
"Anything is possible. He can stay at Red Bull if he sees the point in it. His goal is still to be able to win races. If he feels that this is no longer possible at Red Bull, a change is not out of the question."
As Red Bull elected to part ways with Sergio Perez after the season, the reigning champion will have a new team-mate, with Liam Lawson earning the promotion from the Racing Bulls. Asked to give an advice to the Kiwi, Jos Verstappen reckons that Lawson should not be bothered with beating his son at all costs, but he should rather concentrate on his own development.
"That he should not make the mistake I made at Benetton in 1994: trying to keep up with Max at all costs. He should do his own thing. Hopefully he has a similar driving style to Max, then they can improve the car together," he is quoted as saying by F1-insider.com.
