Verstappen’s manager threatens Red Bull – Last weekend Max Verstappen became a four times Formula One world champion and it happened in one of the world’s biggest party towns, Las Vegas. The Red Bull driver joined an exclusive club of five drivers in history who have achieved this feat in consecutive seasons.

Yet it was not an easy ride this year for Max and Red Bull as the season began with allegations against the team boss, an internal power struggle and to top it all the announcement that guru F1 car designer Adrian Newey was leaving the team.

There was talk at the time that Verstappen was unhappy with the goings on within the team and when Dr. Marko suggested he may be suspended, Max threw his weight behind his mentor suggesting if the Austrian was to leave Red Bull, he may follow suit.

 

 

 

 

Early season head start

Fortunately at the time things were going well on track as Max aced the first two Grand Prix weekends and was only denied victory in Australia due to mechanical failure. Five wins from the first seven race weekends appeared to signal another dominant season from the Red Bull driver.

In fact only a safety car in Miami prevented this from being six from seven as Norris benefitted from a cheap pit stop to claim his maiden Formula One victory in Florida. Come round ten ins Spain, Max was on the top step of the podium again, but little did he or the team know this would be the last time for more than four months Verstappen would win a Grand Prix.

Ten race weekends came and went without the all to familiar combination of the Dutch and Austrian anthems being played and then in Brazil expectations were low given Verstappen was starting P17 and his closest rival Lando Norris was on pole.

Yet in what many seasoned F1 observers have described as the ‘drive of the century’ in Brazil, Max was imperious as he carved through the field in treacherous conditions, at time two seconds faster than any other driver on track.

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Brazil: ‘Drive of the century’

It was this memorable drive which sealed the title for Verstappen this year, although there was a mathematical possibility of a Norris win but this faded to nothing under the neon lights along the Strip.

2025 will be the last F1 season where the car design regulations remain stable and as this year has proven the pack is closing up at the front. This year seven different drivers have won multiple races, something never seen in the whole of F1 history and there’s no particular reason why next year will be any less diverse.

Red Bull remained tight lipped over the reasons for their loss in performance mid-season however with Newey gone all eyes will be on the creation of Pierre Wache and the team at Milton Keynes at F1’s big launch event F1-75.

Max is under contract with the world champions until 2028, yet he has made it clear this year he could retire early under a variety of circumstances which he is unhappy with. Toto Wolff has been publicly touting his courtship of Max, which he hopes should Mercedes ace the new power unit regulations be the bait which secures the Dutch driver a seat with the silver arrows.

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Norris: The gap was too large

However for now, Red Bull’s chief driver concern is for Verstappen’s team mate. Sergio Perez has had a horrendous season, he is the only driver from the top four teams without a win and in that mini table of eight F1 drivers, Checo is planted firmly at the bottom.

Its almost inconceivable Perez will remain with the team next season, although both he and his management are adamant that will be the case. However, it is Max Verstappen’s management who Red Bull should be listening too as he threatens the team – even if gently – of the consequences should they fail to produce more winning cars for Max.

Raymond Vermeulen has now warned Red Bull they must deliver a “competitive package” for the newly crowned world champion after the slump of 2024. Despite the RB20’s loss of performance mid-season, Verstappen kept on delivering results which kept his closest rival Lando Norris at bay.

As Lando admitted in Las Vegas, the gap he had to Max after Barcelona was one which no F1 driver has historically overcome and that the crowing of Verstappen as champion was merely a matter of time.

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Verstappen’s manager candid

Mercedes are not the only team linked with Verstappen in the future as Aston Martin have also expressed an interest. At the announcement Adrian Newey was joining the Silverstone based squad, the team boss Mike Krack was asked if the Dutch driver could be an option. “The door for Max Verstappen is always open, I think for every team,” he said.

Speaking to RacingNews365 in Las Vegas, Vermeulen calls on Red Bull to deliver a competitive car for next year. He claims should Max be given the right equipment he will deliver on track, yet acknowledges next year will be very competitive.

“If he has the material, he will execute his job, but in the end, a lot can happen,” explained Vermeulen. “You can have a safety car, you can have a crash, you can be unlucky like in Miami with a safety car, so it is good that it is done and dusted.”

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Hint of a threat to Red Bull

A late safety car in Miami this year saw a certain win for Verstappen lost to the fortunate Lando Norris. 

“Max is in the peak of his career, so if he has the material, he will deliver, but of course, [2025], will be more competitive, all the teams will be there. 

“The car is at the end of its evolution since it is the last year for the regulations, so everyone will give it a go, even us as well. We will see where the performance is, Max wants to have to best performance package for the moment.”

Then comes the hint of a threat. “We have four championships here, we are loyal to Red Bull, but of course, we want to keep going and we need a competitive package,” concluded Vermeulen.

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Mercedes claim they have the secret to win in 2025

Mercedes Vegas performance ‘the key’ for 2025 car design – Lewis Hamilton is leaving his Mercedes family to conclude his F1 career with Ferrari. Yet on Sunday in Las Vegas, the silver arrows team were rampant with George Russell romping to victory and Lewis Hamilton scything through the field from P10 to finish second behind his team mate.

This was Mercedes first 1-2 since Sao Paulo in 2022 although the tense battle between the pair to the line in Brazil, was missing in the desert evening in Nevada. The result was no surprise given the team had topped the timesheets all weekend.

Despite being quickest in both Thursday practice sessions, Hamilton was cautious given Mercedes have repeatedly gone backwards during the course of a race weekend this year. Speculation n the paddock suggested the team may be running the cars with lower fuel levels than others, but Russell’s pole in qualifying put pay to all that talk… READ MORE