"He'll be leveraging them": Max Verstappen and father Jos will 'pressure' Red Bull according to former F1 champion

Former F1 champion Damon Hill believes Max Verstappen and his father Jos Verstappen will be pressuring Red Bull in the coming months. Hill believes the Verstappens will try and use their leverage on Red Bull in a way that suits the two-time world champion over Sergio Perez.

Verstappen encountered a driveshaft failure during qualifying, which resulted in him starting from the 15th position in Jeddah. Despite the setback, the two-time world champion made impressive progress throughout the race, ultimately securing second place behind his teammate Sergio Perez, who had a mostly unhindered run from pole position.

Verstappen and Perez now each have one victory and are separated by just one point in the standings as they head to Australia. Verstappen secured the bonus point for the fastest lap on the final lap of the Jeddah race, taking it away from Perez.

Although Perez has been a reliable asset for Red Bull over the past two years, he has not consistently posed a threat to Max Verstappen. Damon Hill believes the Dutchman and his father will look to use their championship-winning leverage to get the team to favor them in the coming months.

He told Autosport:

"From the point of view of the sport, I think that they need to let Checo have every opportunity to fight with a level playing field within that team. Because I know the pressure from the Verstappens, his dad as well, on Red Bull will be intense. He'll be pulling out the card of saying, 'I'm your future. The whole opportunity is built around me' and he'll be leveraging them."

Max Verstappen lauded by former Red Bull driver

Former Red Bull driver David Coulthard has remarked that Max Verstappen stands out from other drivers due to his dedicated work ethic and fearless attitude.

Verstappen, who has won the world championship twice, began the 2023 F1 season by securing a triumph in the first race from the pole position, displaying his extraordinary driving skills. In the second race of the season held in Jeddah, he finished second after making an impressive charge through the field, despite starting from the 15th position on the grid.

Speaking at the recent Red Bull Showrun event in Mumbai, India, where Sportskeeda was present, 13-time GP winner David Coulthard gave his two cents on what makes Max Verstappen stand out. He said:

''Just because he works so hard. His mother was a cart racer, his father was a Formula One driver. He was not given a route to F1, he had to slot it out."

"Time and again, he has shown that he has a fighting spirit, that he is not frightened by any competitor. His work ethic on the track has given him, along with his natural talent, an edge over his competitors.''

Max Verstappen is on track to securing his third consecutive title if he continues to drive the way that he is. However, it will be interesting to see if any other teams or drivers are able to challenge the Dutchman.