"If they have a 1000 HP then they have a bad car": When Max Verstappen hilariously shrugged off former Red Bull partner's claims about the power unit

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen previously took shots at the Austrian team's former power unit supplier, Renault, during the 2019 Hungarian Grand Prix. The Milton-Keynes outfit had a tumultuous relationship with the French manufacturer as an engine consumer team from 2007 to 2018.

During their 11-year tenure, they dominated the sport from 2010 to 2013, winning the double for four consecutive seasons and only going winless in three seasons: 2007, 2008, and 2015. However, the equation was riddled with arguments from Red Bull about the quality and reliability of the engines and Renault denying them an input in the making.

The relationship soured in the Turbo-Hybrid era after Renault was unable to match the might of Mercedes and Ferrari and failed to live up to their promises. Red Bull ultimately ended the partnership and teamed up with Honda from 2019 onwards.

After getting his first pole position in F1 at Budapest, Max Verstappen was asked a question by a journalist regarding Renault's power unit in 2019:

"Renault claims that the engine is now at 1000 horsepower. What about Honda and Mercedes engines?"

The Dutch driver gave a hilarious reply to Renault's claims and said in the post-qualifying press conference:

"If they have a 1000 HP then they have a really bad car."

The comment had Lewis Hamilton in giggles as he claimed that he was not aware of how much horsepower the Mercedes engine had.

Renault slipped to P5 in the Constrcutor's Championship in the 2019 season from 2018's P4 and was 54 points behind McLaren, who was its customer that year.

Max Verstappen reflects on the expectations from the 2025 season

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that he believed that the 2024 season was challenging at times and expected a much more stable 2025 campaign in order to bid for his fifth consecutive driver's championship.

Speaking with ESPN, the 27-year-old previews the new season and said:

"Last year has been challenging at times. Of course, we had a lot of good moments, of course, also some tough moments, and I hope that we can be, let's say, a little bit more stable and a little bit more all-round throughout the season."

"What I'm looking forward to the most is just to see how competitive we are. Of course, as you said, a new teammate in Liam [Lawson]. I'm excited to be working with him as well, and I think the whole team is excited to, yeah, look ahead to this season."

When asked about his mindset heading into the 2025 season, where he could equal Michael Schumacher's five consecutive titles, Max Verstappen added:

"Honestly, my mindset hasn't really changed. Of course, winning four titles has been a dream, more than a dream, I would say. I'm relaxed. I'm just looking forward, of course, to see how competitive we can be. And from there onwards also, once you realize a bit how competitive you are, you set a bit of a target, but that's too early to say at the moment."

Max Verstappen will look to become only the fourth driver in F1 history to win five titles and join the company of Schumacher, Fangio, and Hamilton.