Max Verstappen’s speed is the equivalent of €10 million worth of car development, believes one of his former F1 bosses.

Verstappen may not have the quickest car in Formula 1 this year, but his relentlessness is keeping him in the championship fight as he’s just 12 points behind Oscar Piastri after the first five races of the F1 2025 season.

Franz Tost: Max Verstappen could win with a tractor

Verstappen’s first boss in Formula 1 was Franz Tost, the now-retired Austrian who stepped away from leading the AlphaTauri team (now Racing Bulls) after 2023 – Tost had overseen the Red Bull sister team since its arrival in the sport in 2006.

Tost was at the helm of the then-Toro Rosso squad in 2014 when Verstappen first took part in a practice session as a precocious teenager, before the Dutch driver raced for the team in 2015 and in the early races of ’16.

The Austrian has never failed to hide his admiration of Verstappen’s talents, which have since translated into four World Championships and counting after being called up to the senior team in 2016.

Last season, Verstappen won the title with a car that clearly was the third or fourth quickest by season end as Red Bull lost its way with the development of the RB20 while, this year, his championship defence is behind the wheel of a car that, while seemingly much improved, still does not have the versatility or outright capability of the McLaren MCL39.

But where the RB21 is lacking, Tost said, Verstappen can compensate due to him being “simply three-tenths faster per lap than anyone else.”

This advantage, Tost told Germany’s F1-Insider.com, means that Verstappen can win races even “with a tractor”, and explained, “Last year, Max did a test with a Ferrari GT racing car. He was immediately two seconds faster than the rest.

“Max has a feel for speed, an incredible overview, unbelievable vehicle contr,ol and an incredible feel for a car – no matter which one. He would therefore get to grips with any Formula 1 car straight away. Of course, he will then fine-tune the car to best suit his driving style.”

The three-tenths that Verstappen brings to a team, Tost believes, is equivalent to millions of euros of worth of car development, and far in excess of what a team can achieve with any single update.

“You can’t normally make a step like that with an update,” he said.

“Unless you find a miracle part by chance. It normally takes a very long time to make your car 0.3 seconds faster per lap. Extrapolated over a year, that costs ten million. At least.”

With Tost still serving as an advisor to Red Bull after being succeeded by Racing Bulls’ new management structure of CEO Peter Bayer and team principal Laurent Mekies, the Austrian revealed he’s hopeful Verstappen will stick with Red Bull but said he fully understands why other teams will move heaven and earth to try securing his services.

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Speculation has abounded over the past year that Verstappen could move to a rival team, with Mercedes and Aston Martin mooted as the frontrunners for his signature, if he decides on pastures new before the end of his current contract, which expires in F1 2028.

Rumoured performance clauses could potentially open the door for Verstappen to leave, should he wish to do so, although the Dutch driver has sought to play down the possibility that he’s thinking of a switch.

“Max is a very special driver who is superior to the others in terms of natural speed,” Tost said.

“He is so strong mentally that he can realise his supernatural talent at the decisive moment. That’s what makes him so superior.

“But first of all, Red Bull will be bringing a major update to Imola to decisively improve the car. Let’s hope for Red Bull’s sake that it works.

“We’ll see which team is left in the end. At the moment he is still a Red Bull driver, he has a long-term contract there.

“Now it depends on whether he honours this contract or not. If he switches, there are various teams for him. Mercedes is the first choice, but Aston Martin could also be interesting for him.

“Everyone will try to get him. But the question is whether Max will go there. Max and his advisors will look closely at where the chances of success will be greatest.”

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