Max Verstappen‘s manager Raymond Vermeulen has revealed Red Bull must provide a “competitive package” to guarantee it retains the reigning Formula 1 champion.
Verstappen’s recent stranglehold on the sport continued as he clinched his fourth successive Drivers’ Championship with two races to go at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
However, the Dutchman’s latest title triumph wasn’t as plain sailing as his previous two under this ruleset amid Red Bull’s sudden mid-season drop in competitiveness.
Red Bull began the campaign appearing destined to dominate again as Verstappen claimed four victories in the opening five races to assemble a sizeable points lead.
Verstappen was able to continue collecting the wins until Red Bull’s balance issues with the RB20 deteriorated to the point that he embarked on a 10-race winless run.
But Verstappen’s brilliance rescued the Austrian outfit on numerous occasions as a miraculous drive to triumph in Brazil then set him up to take the title last weekend.
Red Bull, though, is under no illusion it must improve to give Verstappen the tools to retain his crown, as Vermeulen admitted that is integral to his future with the side.
“If he has the material, he will execute his job, but in the end, a lot can happen,” Vermeulen told RacingNews365.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
Verstappen targets complete Red Bull career
Red Bull’s on-track woes this season, coupled with the political drama that has ensued behind the scenes, has prompted rumours that Verstappen could court an exit.
However, Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull through 2028, has admitted that it would be rewarding to conclude his F1 career without switching to a rival team.
“My desire, and honestly this is how I saw it when I signed my new deal, is it will be an amazing story if basically I did my whole F1 career with one team,” he told the BBC.
“I think that is pretty special, because I do value my time also at Toro Rosso [now RB, in 2015], but I was already part of the whole Red Bull family.
“But again, ’26 for me is also a big question mark where it’s not only performance wise, but how is the car, is it fun to drive, is it going to be nice?
“Is it what I like to dedicate 24 weekends a year for and all the work of course next to it, that is something that is very difficult to judge at the moment.
“I also know that I want to do other stuff in life and I definitely don’t want to be racing in F1 until I’m 40 years old.”
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