With four world championships and 53 wins to his name since the start of the 2021 season, Max Verstappen is definitely enjoying a purple patch. Despite that, winning a fifth consecutive championship this year could be out of the Dutchman’s hands if Red Bull do not provide him with a quick enough car.
Last season, there was ample evidence of Red Bull‘s fading advantage over the rest of the pack as the RB20 began to struggle with massive balance issues, particularly during the European leg of the campaign.
Verstappen often complained about the lack of grip he had while navigating the bumps and kerbs, especially on street tracks. Later on, the car’s handling worsened to such an extent that the Dutchman was completely frustrated with understeer issues in Hungary.
While the Milton Keynes-based team managed to mitigate this problem in the American stretch of races, they are yet to figure out a long-term solution. That is why, former F1 driver Christian Klien is also doubtful whether Verstappen can retain his championship.
“It is probably a little bit more difficult in 2025 because Red Bull started 2024 with having clearly the fastest car,” the Austrian said on The Business of Winning podcast. “I don’t think that is the case this year”.
Also, since 2025 is the last season under the current regulations, Red Bull may not be too concerned about their fading advantage this year if they can get a headstart for 2026 and beyond. With teams like McLaren and Ferrari having overtaken them on pure performance, they may cede their control on the championship.
However, since Klien believes that Verstappen’s “fighter” mindset is Red Bull’s biggest strength, if there is any driver who can manage to win in a subpar car, then it is certainly the Dutchman.
Can Verstappen win against the odds in 2025?
Having a quick car is essential in a sport like F1 for any driver, no matter how good they are, to achieve success. However, Verstappen showed last year that even in an underwhelming car with heaps of issues, it was possible to eke out decent results. Two race weekends in which he produced sublime performances were in Brazil and Las Vegas.
Despite starting the Sao Paulo GP from 17th — after all the penalties were applied — he managed to stun everyone by winning the race in torrential conditions. While a bit of luck did go his way with the timing of the red flag that essentially gave him a free pit stop, it was his hard work before that moment that put him in a position to benefit from it.
STARTS P17, FINISHES P1
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE 2024 SAO PAULO GRAND PRIX!!
What an extraordinary drive #F1 #BrazilGP pic.twitter.com/0KnYj1862x
— Formula 1 (@F1) November 3, 2024
Following up this masterclass in Brazil, the Dutchman put in another brilliant performance in Las Vegas by finishing fifth, a result that helped him seal his fourth consecutive title.
While a P5 finish may not seem such a good result, it has to be put into perspective as many experts had predicted that the Las Vegas GP would probably be one of Red Bull’s worst weekends of the 2024 season.
