Max verstappen: red bull ace set target as f1 expert makes title claim

That’s according to Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok. Verstappen is undoubtedly Red Bull’s No 1 driver after Daniel Ricciardo’s departure to Renault and he will be looking to continue the

kind of form with which he ended 2018. The Dutchman ended the year with six podium finishes in the last eight races including one win. It was a total contrast to how the 20-year-old began

the year, having been in several high-profile clashes - including one with Hamilton in Bahrain and a massive collision with Ricciardo in Azerbaijan. Verstappen’s attacking style and sheer

pace has seen him long tipped to become a future world champion and Red Bull showed their faith with a contract that pays him only less than multiple-time world champions Hamilton and Vettel

and the bumper deal Ricciardo signed with Renault. But Chandhok - who raced 11 times in F1 in 2010 and 2011 - thinks that Verstappen and Red Bull will not be able to compete with the

Ferrari and the Mercedes just yet. That’s with the Austrian energy drink company’s team having swapped from Renault engines to Honda power units for this season onwards. Yet Chandhok

believes Verstappen and new team-mate Pierre Gasly can aim to win at least four of the year’s 21 races - with Mexico and Monaco pencilled in as key winning opportunities. Chandhok told Sky

Sports: “I’m not sure if they’re going to be able to challenge for the title but I think I’d be disappointed if they didn’t win four or five races this year.  “They’ve shown good reliability

in pre-season testing which tells you they can turn the engine up a bit more perhaps.  “The chassis - we know there’s nothing wrong with the Red Bull chassis, there hasn’t been for years. 

“You get to a non-power sensitive track like Mexico last year or Monaco and they’re right there, locking out the front row.  “Ultimately I think they might need another year for the

relationship to settle in but they should win a few races.  “When we get to Q2 and they start to crank the engines up, that’s when the story will start to unfold of where are Honda.  “The

rumours are they found 15 kilowatts over the winter - that’s potentially half the deficit to Mercedes and Ferrari. But we’ll see.”