Jos Verstappen says Red Bull must deliver next season as his son seeks to equal Michael Schumacher’s record of five consecutive F1 driver titles.
The Dutchman has clearly put the ball in the Milton Keynes outfit’s court, with Max Verstappen just one championship away from matching his former teammate’s success at Benetton.
His father, however, is unsure whether Red Bull will be able to provide the basis for his son to win the crown in 2025.
When asked if an extension of this success would be possible in 2025 with the current state of forces, Jos replied: “No one can answer that question, of course. We all hope so. But the dynamic is not good… not on Red Bull’s side, clearly.”
Jos, however, was quick to put the onus on Red Bull to remedy these known issues.
“At least they know where the problems are and what needs to be changed. Now it’s up to them to show how much they understand what they’re creating.”
“So before I’m optimistic or pessimistic, I want to see that first next year. We started off really well this year and then we just slipped. It’s up to the team to show how they’re doing progress next year without Adrian Newey and other engineers.”
Max Verstappen admitted at a press conference to having considered a transfer to Mercedes F1, then indicated that he refused to jump ship. A good choice according to Jos?
“We have a contract with Red Bull until 2028 and we are getting there little by little. We will see. We will have to see if Max will still be interested in F1 first.”
“All his life he’s been told what to do, including me, and now this is what’s happening with the team. There will come a time when he wants to decide to do something else or with someone another.”
“His life is certainly not all about F1 and Max is aware of that. He listens to his feelings a lot, he knows what he wants, but it’s hard to say what will happen.”
“Maybe he’ll take a year off in the future, a sabbatical, and then he’ll want to come back. Who knows?”
“It’s definitely not the records that motivate him. He doesn’t need to win seven or eight world championships, he’s already happy with what he’s accomplished.”
Asked about Mercedes’ interest in the Red Bull star, he concluded: “That’s normal. They want the fastest driver.”
