Nigel Mansell shares exciting news for Max Verstappen and Red Bull fans ahead of 2025 F1 championship showdown

Max Verstappen has received some good news ahead of the 2025 F1 season. According to former champion Nigel Mansell, Red Bull has done a good job in improving the 2025 season challenger, RB21, with major issues related to balance being resolved.

Red Bull Racing had a mixed season in 2024. While Verstappen retained his drivers championship, the team lost their dominance in the constructors race, finishing in third place, behind McLaren and Ferrari. However, the 2025 F1 season is likely to be competitive and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner already believes that McLaren will be favorites for the coming season.

Meanwhile, Red Bull has also reportedly made progress with their 2025 season challenger, RB21. According to former F1 world champion Nigel Mansell, the RB21 is likely to perform better and will have balance and stability compared to the RB20.

Talking to Daily Mail, Mansell said (via Planet F1):

“The exciting thing about F1 in 2025 is that Max won’t lie down with Red Bull. ‘I’ve heard Red Bull has done a good job with the car over the winter."

Max Verstappen repeatedly voiced his concern with the reliability and pace of RB20 throughout the 2024 season. He had heated arguments with his race enginner on multiple occasions.

However, despite the hardships and setbacks, Verstappen defended his title to get crowned as a four-time world champion, extending his dominance. Meanwhile, for the 2025 F1 season, the Dutchman will likely have some added responsibilities. His teammate, Liam Lawson, lacks experience when it comes to racing in F1, as he has only driven 11 races. Verstappen's previous teammate, Sergio Perez, was sacked following the conclusion of the 2024 season as he lagged more than 200 points behind his teammate, Verstappen.

He also struggled to extract performance from RB20, and while the Dutch driver was able to grapple with the pressure, Perez couldn't emulate the same.

---

Max Verstappen is gaining a normal rhythm ahead of the 2025 season

Max Verstappen F1 75 Live - Arrivals (Image Source: Getty)

Ahead of the 2025 F1 season, Max Verstappen attended the F175 event in London. Dressed in a suit, the Dutchman arrived on the red carpet and spoke to the media.

Talking to GP Blog, he opened up about his pre-season preparations and said:

"I'd rather be at home; I can prepare more for the season. So actually, January was very nice. A lot of training at home, stable weeks, so to speak, a normal rhythm. Now it's a few final weeks before it starts, and it's different again; a few days of training, and now again, not, because you're on the road."

However, the F175 event wasn't pleasant for Max Verstappen as he was booed relentlessly by the crowd present at the O2 Arena. He and Red Bull team principal Christian Horner received a hostile reception, and the FIA took notice of the event.