Max Verstappen “nervously waiting” to see if Red Bull can recover without Adrian Newey

Max Verstappen has been labelled as the “man to beat for the title” if Red Bull can get on top of the difficulties they faced last season without Adrian Newey's influence. 

While Verstappen was able to clinch his fourth consecutive F1 drivers' title in 2024, it was far from plain sailing.

Verstappen won seven of the opening 10 races before winning just two more in the proceeding 14 events.

Red Bull slipped behind McLaren and then Ferrari in the pecking order, forcing them to rely on Verstappen’s brilliance - notably in Brazil - to get the title over the line at Lando Norris’ expense.

Speaking to Sky Sports News, Brundle thinks it’s hard to look past Verstappen in the title race, particularly given that the McLaren and Ferrari teammate pairings could take points off each other.

“We’ll see if Red Bull have recovered their car,” Brundle said. “That’s the key thing.

“If Red Bull have recovered their car and Verstappen is on form, he will still be the man to beat for the title because Piastri could take points off Norris, and Hamilton-Leclerc could take points off each other.”

Adrian Newey factor

Red Bull will have to return to the summit of F1 in performance terms without their design genius, Newey.

Newey’s departure from the team was announced in the middle of last year, paving the way for him to join Aston Martin.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner has insisted his team have the “strength in depth” to cope with Newey’s departure.

However, Newey’s departure coincided with Red Bull’s downturn in form.

Brundle admitted that the off-track drama surrounding Red Bull did “distract” the team, but finding performance without Newey will be the biggest challenge in 2025.

“I think it did distract,” he added. “I think Max did very well to keep his head clear through all of what was happening in the first half of last year. What will be concerning him more was that the car dropped off the pace as McLaren, Ferrari improved.

“He will be nervously waiting as to whether they’ve recovered that or not. Adrian Newey effectively left the team in the middle of last season. Can the people in Newey’s wake sort that Red Bull out? If they can’t I don’t think he will be able to stay with the McLarens or Ferraris.”