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Feb.13 (GMM) Max Verstappen is openly hoping for a “more stable” season with Red Bull in 2025.
F1 legend Gerhard Berger – the first-ever Red Bull-backed athlete – this week lamented the turmoil and performance decline at the F1 team last year.
“It will be exciting to see whether Red Bull can return to its old strength or whether Verstappen will continue to have difficulty winning,” he told Auto Motor und Sport.
“Then he will consider whether he is still in the right team,” Berger added.
Team boss Christian Horner, who personally survived the power struggles and scandal of 2024, sees the problems of last year as one of car performance alone.
“We have understood where the development was not optimal last year,” he is quoted as saying by La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“When we managed to get the car into the right window, we were performing well, but when we moved away from it even a little, the car became really problematic.”
Horner continued: “The engineers have been focusing a lot from mid-2024 and throughout the winter break on how to widen this window. Not necessarily by adding definitive performance, but simply by widening the window.”
Curiously, technical director Pierre Wache is not convinced of that theory, warning that “by opening up that sweet spot, we might miss out on the actual potential that is theoretically available”.
As for Verstappen, while Red Bull missed out on the constructors’ championship last year, the Dutchman still managed to win his fourth consecutive drivers’ world title.
Ahead of the new season, Verstappen said: “What I’m looking forward to most is seeing how competitive we are.
“Last year was challenging at times,” he added. “Of course we had a lot of good moments, but also some difficult moments. Hopefully we can be, let’s say, a bit more stable and a bit more all-round throughout the season.”
However, he denied any intimation that, based on the problems of 2024, his patience or approach may now be challenged.
“Honestly, my mindset hasn’t really changed,” said the 27-year-old. “Of course, winning four titles has been a dream – more than a dream, even. So I’m relaxed.
“I have a new teammate in Liam (Lawson) and I’m excited to work with him. I’m just looking forward to seeing how competitive we can be. And from there, once you realise how competitive you are, you set a target.
“But it’s too early to tell right now.”
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