Team hopes Verstappen has wings
It is a strange setup when, at only 21, Max Verstappen is the senior driver at Red Bull – especially when his new team-mate, Pierre Gasly, is 23.
There is good reason the dynamic is like this. Verstappen is heading into his fourth season at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne today, and the team has been geared around him. Daniel Riccardo left at the end of last season to join Renault as a result of the rising status of the Dutchman.
Red Bull is putting all its eggs in Verstappen’s basket in the hope that a man who has five race wins under his belt will return the team to the top of the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, where it last stood in 2013.
It is not hard to see why: Verstappen, the son of the former Formula One driver Jos, is a prodigious talent; his speed is unquestionable; and there are few, if any, who would bet against him being world champion one day. Could he do it this year, though? While the hype suggests it is possible, in reality it is highly unlikely.
Red Bull is in the first year of its relationship with Honda as its engine supplier, after its relationship with Renault turned sour. The Japanese manufacturer has had a difficult return to Formula One, having teamed up with McLaren in 2015 when a lack of power and reliability affected their car.
Honda worked with Toro Rosso, Red Bull’s junior team, last season and there was an immediate improvement, although the issues were not all resolved and it remains to be seen if they have been ironed out. Certainly in testing, the engine looked reliable and the times matched those of Mercedes.
Mark Webber, a former Red Bull driver, believes that the team will have to take penalties as it learns more about its engine. Teams can use only three engines in a 21-race season or incur a penalty. They often choose to replace an engine and take the hit at tracks that do not suit their car.
‘‘I think there will be flashes in the Honda cycle where they get good performances, but it could well be challenging to keep screwing the engine hard all the time,’’ the 42-year-old Australian who won nine races during six years with the Milton Keynes-based team said before the season-opening race in Melbourne today.
‘‘Ferrari and Mercedes, however, have so much currency and money in the bank to trust in their engines. They just have so much more experience to do that. They have been in the trenches when it gets hot.
That will be something that will take time for Red Bull and Honda, to be battle-hardened.
‘‘That would be my only concern around a sustained championship approach, as there could be issues every six or seven races and you need a campaign that’s very, very strong to beat Ferrari and Mercedes.’’
Verstappen was vocal during the team’s relationship with Renault about his frustration at not being able to push the car for fear that the engine would blow up, as it often did last season. Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, insists that Verstappen has matured during the winter break and will be more patient with Honda.
That remains to be seen, but Webber believes he is gaining the crucial experience needed to compete against the most successful drivers.
‘‘Max is good in all conditions,’’ Webber said. ‘‘He’s now experienced a few grands prix where they’ve been boring and that’s important for any driver, that they’ve led a grand prix and had to close it out.
‘‘He’s seeing more and more moves, which is good for him to start putting feathers in his cap to be able to take it to Sebastian [Vettel] and Lewis [Hamilton].’’
Vettel, of Ferrari, and Hamilton, of Mercedes, are likely to fight it out for the championship for a third year running, with the latter having taken the spoils in the past two seasons.
THE TIMES, LONDON