Verstappen ‘concerned about next year’

Max Verstappen admits he is worried about Red Bull’s form going into 2018 after Renault announced that they won’t be introducing any major updates this season.

Lagging behind Ferrari and Mercedes in engine performance, Red Bull have banked on a big upgrade from Renault at the next race in Azerbaijan.

That, though, isn’t on the cards.

Stating that it was Red Bull who claimed that an update was coming, Renault’s managing director Cyril Abiteboul revealed that the “next big upgrade will be next year. Then we will have a completely new concept. That will make a difference – but as I said 2018.”

And with Red Bull still win-less seven races into this season, Verstappen says he is concerned for next year.

“I want to win and I think the team can win,” he told Peptalk, a TV show in the Netherlands, in the wake of Sunday’s race.

“The car is a little better but there’s no new [engine] model this year as you’d have read.

“They promised this, but in the end little has arrived in terms of updates [in 2017].

“That’s very disappointing. I’m concerned about next year.

“This year we wanted to go for the title but we’re far away from that.”