Max Verstappen’s 2024 title won’t stop alarm bells ringing at Red Bull

Max Verstappen's 2024 F1 world title victory does not hide Red Bull's shortcomings for the upcoming season.

Max Verstappen’s 2024 title won’t stop alarm bells ringing at Red Bull

Max Verstappen, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko (via BILD)

Max Verstappen took his fourth F1 world title at the Las Vegas GP. The Dutch driver defeated arch-rival Lando Norris for the championship with two races to spare. However, the 27-year-old’s triumph will not stop tensions within Red Bull.

The four-time world champion won seven out of the first ten rounds of the season. This stellar start to the season allowed Max Verstappen to retain a massive points gap to Norris. Even a four-month winless streak did not push the 27-year-old down in the standings.

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Ultimately, Verstappen’s 2024 campaign was hampered by Red Bull’s failure to match McLaren in terms of performance. It was the Dutch driver that outdrove the car on numerous occasions to ensure he wins the world championship.

Red Bull needs to get its act together for 2025

McLaren’s rise in 2024 exposed Red Bull’s shortcomings. Milton Keynes even confessed that it realized the first mistake in car development was made in 2023. However, this error went unnoticed during Max Verstappen’s historic campaign last year.

Max Verstappen, elmut Marko and Christian Horner
Max Verstappen, Helmut Marko, and Christian Horner (Via: Imago)

Additionally, the Austrian team no longer has the services of aero genius Adrian Newey. Newey’s absence will be felt at Milton Keynes particularly over the team’s current state. On the other hand, rival teams are only getting stronger with both Ferrari and Mercedes showing promising pace.

Even Max Verstappen’s father Jos Verstappen has raised concerns over the team’s preparations for next year. Christian Horner‘s squad has a lot of work to do over the winter to reclaim its dominant position on the grid.

Moreover, Sergio Perez‘s future remains uncertain yet again. Red Bull needs a stronger teammate to Verstappen if the team wants to avoid a repeat of this year’s Constructors’ campaign. The Austrian giant will make a call on Perez’s seat after the Abu Dhabi GP.

Thus, Red Bull needs to do a lot of things to get back on track for 2025. Max Verstappen’s title victory will not hide the team’s current problems. As such, fans would be hoping that the Austrian team makes swift progress during the winter break.