While the Verstappen camp is “optimistic” about the Red Bull RB21, Jos does “worry” for the future if their new challenger does not represent a step forward.

And that the RB21 does not disappoint is “incredibly important” for Max Verstappen, as he sets about winning a fifth World Championship in a row.

Red Bull challenged: ‘Can they still do it?’

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher and Sam Cooper

After cruising to the 2022 and 2023 crowns, Verstappen dug deep for his fourth Drivers’ Championship success, enduring a mid-season performance slump for Red Bull – involving a 10-race winless run – to come out the other side and secure the title with two rounds to go, withstanding the pressure applied by McLaren’s Lando Norris.

However, with the points tally back to zero, anticipation is building for what could be an all-time classic F1 2025 season, with Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes all entering the 24-round season with title glory on the agenda.

This is the final year of F1’s current regulations, with a new chassis and power unit rulebook to arrive in F1 2026, carrying with it the potential for a major shake-up in the order.

And that has seen Verstappen linked with the likes of Mercedes and Aston Martin – the team taking over use of Honda power from Red Bull in F1 2026 – with both Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner admitting to the existence of a performance-related clause in Verstappen’s contract, which runs until the end of 2028.

The RB21 is the first Red Bull challenger since their RB2 not to feel the influence of F1 design guru Adrian Newey, Pierre Waché overseeing the design of Red Bull’s latest challenger following the departure of Aston Martin-bound Newey.

And as Max’s father Jos waits to see whether this post-Newey era can continue to deliver for Red Bull, he does “worry” for the future if the RB21 cannot answer with a clear yes.

“You don’t know how the others are doing, so everything is new,” said Jos in a RaceXpress interview. “Next week they are going to test and then you can see a bit of what is happening, but not quite yet.

“So it is a matter of waiting and hoping that Red Bull has made a good car, because that is incredibly important for Max.

“Can they still do it? With these new people, to then put down a good car…. You also take that into next year, when everything is new.

“If they can’t get out of it now, you do worry for the years after that. So we’re optimistic, but we do want to see it move forward.”

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The Red Bull RB21 will hit the track for the first time in Bahrain on February 25, ahead of the three-day pre-season test from February 26-28.

An underwhelming 2024 Italian Grand Prix for Red Bull was also regarded as the spark for recovery following Verstappen’s RB20 feedback, and when speaking to the media, including PlanetF1.com, at the F1 75 season-launch event in London, Verstappen was asked whether he thinks the RB21 can be a solid platform to address the weaknesses.

“I mean, that’s what we are working on,” he replied, “and that’s what we’ll continue to try and improve.

“I think we do understand, of course, where the issues were coming from. But now, yeah, it’s about trying to just add a better balance to the car. Change maybe a few approaches.

“But I guess only time will tell, of course, how much we have found. I find it really difficult to say at the moment, but yeah, hopefully just heading in the right direction.”

Asked if the RB21 feels better than its predecessor in the simulator, Verstappen replied: “I haven’t really driven a lot on the sim, to be honest.

“And I prefer to wait, you know, until I’ve driven the real thing.”

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