‘If they want to keep Verstappen, they'll have to give him more'

In a preview of the 2021 racing season, Tom Coronel predicts a more competitive field, as well as higher pressure on the Red Bull team. If the team wants to keep the rising star with the name Verstappen, says the driver and analyst, they will have to give him better materials

In conversation with Motorsport.com, Coronel gives his view on Red Bull's current situation and states that Verstappen is not served optimally with Red Bull's material: 'If they want to keep Max, they will have to give him more than they have given him in recent years. But everyone has the same focus.’

Coronel also nuances this by arguing that Red Bull has been aware of this for a long time. Coronel: 'They know where they are winning it and they also know where they are losing it. In this I see the focus of Red Bull, together with Max.'

It's not just the pressure to deliver for Verstappen that is causing headaches, also the fact that 2021 will be the final year of the partnership with Honda, as well as the settling of Sergio Perez are time-consuming.

Title battle at the front

For next season, Coronel prefers a title battle at the front of the grid, rather than another year of continued Mercedes dominance. ‘I see this as a season where we can finally see a title fight at the front again, where we don’t just see Max winning on occasion’, Coronel said.

To what extent this will happen remains to be seen, and will depend on which team has been able to further develop the 2020 car the best.