Max Verstappen has made no secret of his disappointment with a season that promised so much but, so far, has not lived up to expectations, his father Jos Verstappen explains why frustration is mounting and warns that no wins next year will complicate matters for Red Bull.
Verstappen told RTL GP, “Right now Max cannot do much more than he is doing. He is doing everything right and he feels good within his skin, but he just wants to win.”
“What you will notice about Max is the disappointment that he cannot win, this is why he has had some problems. Because he has never experienced this situation before.”
Indeed the prodigious teenager throughout his junior career, in karting and the lower formulae, has always started every race with a chance of victory.
Now in Formula 1, with Red Bull third in the pecking order, Verstappen finds himself a half a second or so short of being able to challenge for wins.
Adrian Newey’s Red Bull RB13 combined with Renault power has done Verstappen no favours, while five DNFs in ten races suggests that Lady Luck has been unkind to him too.
Jos explained, “Max wants to become F1 world champion and he will do anything to win. Right now he does not have these opportunities, but he is using this year to become stronger as a person and a driver.”
“Next year, it is clear what our goals are. We want to win, and if this does not happen, the situation will become more complicated,” added Verstappen senior, no doubt hinting that a move away from Red Bull, possibly to Ferrari, could become a reality for the sport’s hottest property.
Meanwhile, no matter what happens this season, the Verstappen junior is reportedly committed to Red Bull for 2018, despite reports linking him to Maranello as partner to Sebastian Vettel and replace Kimi Raikkonen.
Jos has confirmed that his son will be with the energy drinks outfit next year, while Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko insists that Verstappen is not for sale, not even for $100-million.
Big Question: What’s best for Max?