'McLaren has the best car, and it's theirs to lose'

15:30, 16 Apr

byKimberley Hoefnagel

Robert Doornbos isn’t ready to write off Max Verstappen in the world championship race just yet, but he knows things could get tough. According to the former Red Bull driver, the Austrian team is facing major issues and will need to act quickly if they want to keep Verstappen on board.

After qualifying in Bahrain, Verstappen had a painful but clear message for his fans: that fifth consecutive world title likely isn’t going to happen, at least, that’s how he sees it. Given Red Bull’s problems, it’s hard to blame Verstappen for his outlook. Still, not everyone is counting him out just yet. “Mathematically, it’s still possible,” Doornbos said in an interview with GPblog about Verstappen’s title chances for 2025.

“But if you look at it seriously, you think: ‘Okay, no.’ McLaren has the best car, and those guys would really have to throw it away.” Still, he sees a concerning situation at Red Bull. “The difference is huge. In Suzuka, it’s pole position and a win. Then you go to Bahrain, and they’re completely lost. The pit stops—nothing is working anymore,” he emphasised.

“That unpredictability could make this a very unusual year. You know, on his worst day, he finishes P6. You can still become a champion with that.” When it was pointed out that the Bahrain GP is seen as a disastrous weekend, even though a sixth-place finish on a “bad day” isn’t really that bad, he replied: “I’ve never managed that.” Doornbos is certain that a lot of drivers would be happy with such a result. “Liam Lawson, Yuki [Tsunoda], everyone. P9 was the best I ever got. So no, I think it’s way too early to count him out. But clearly, things aren’t going well, and he can’t keep performing miracles on his own.”

Red Bull Racing’s Problems

Doornbos then delved deeper into the issues at Red Bull Racing. “I always try to tie it back to my own entrepreneurial experiences over the past year. I talk a lot about Formula 1, but also about entrepreneurship. And in big organisations, when top management starts to falter...” “And that’s what’s happened,” he continued. “A few key pillars have left, whether you like it or not. Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley—those are people you’re really going to miss.”

Initially, Red Bull denied that their departure would have an impact. “But now it turns out, it actually does. “That makes Max’s decision pretty simple afterwards, I think.” — Robert Doornbos. Christian Horner came under fire in 2024 after being accused of inappropriate behaviour toward a female colleague. According to Doornbos, that situation definitely didn’t help Red Bull. “But he was cleared. Now there’s something new surfacing,” he added, referring to the new complaint that’s been filed. “It’s bad for the team’s atmosphere."

But at the end of the day, if you purely look at performance, then Pierre Waché, who is now the main person responsible, along with his team, they’ve got to make it work. Either they will or they won’t. And then Max will have a very simple decision to make.”When asked who Doornbos thinks will win the championships this season, the answer is simple: "Oscar Piastri and McLaren."