Christian Horner said it’s up to Red Bull to ensure it retains the services of four-time Formula 1 Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen.
Verstappen ascended to the hallowed halls of F1 greats with four world titles at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
One of the Dutchman’s toughest tests yet was getting his Drivers’ title over the line in an at-times uncompetitive Red Bull RB20.
Throughout 2024, Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been a source of speculation given the team’s struggles, even from the man himself.
Despite being contracted through 2028, Verstappen could well be tempted to see if the grass is greener on the other side if Red Bull fails to recover its place at the top of F1’s pecking order.
Speaking to select media including Motorsport Week, Horner said that “I think the relationship that Max has with the team, you can see there’s a great amount of trust there.
“It’s down to us to deliver and I’m sure that we’ll provide him a car that he can fight again for the championship next year.
“I’ve got no doubt about that. I don’t think it’s going to be easy, but it won’t be easy for any of the teams. And I think there’s a lot of lessons that we’ve taken out of this year.”
Red Bull will work hard to deliver Max Verstappen a title-winning car in 2025
2023’s Red Bull RB19 was the most dominant F1 car of all time and Verstappen piloted to a record 19 victories in a single campaign.
This year’s RB20 embarked upon the 2024 campaign with similar gusto before a balance issue reared its ugly head.
Cue a 10-race winless run throughout the bulk of the Summer and Autumn that had Red Bull and Verstappen worried a fourth successive Drivers’ title might slip through the Dutchman’s fingers.
With one year left of the current regulation cycle in 2025, it’s key that Red Bull fixes its issues in the offseason, especially since it will roll out its fledgling power unit programme a year later.
“We don’t know what the others are doing [for next year],” said Horner.
“And with stable regs, you can see how the cars have converged.
“It’s great for the sport that there’s so much competition. I’ve got a few more grey hairs this year.
“But I think next year will be a thriller. I think that we’ve got the best driver in our car. And I think we’ve got the best team as well.
“So we’ll work very hard over the winter to improve on the weaknesses of our RB20.”
The work for Verstappen’s fifth title starts in earnest.
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