Max Verstappen: ‘Never my intention’ to put Renault down in 2018
Max Verstappen claims he never intended t🐓o put Red Bull Formula 1 engine suppler Renault down with his criticism through 2018, but was only eager for progress t💫o be made and more performance to be found by the French manufacturer.
Verstappen was vocal in his criticism of Renault’s power unit throughout the 2018 season as Red Bull struggled to match rivals Mercedes and Ferrari for outright ♛power.
Max Verstappen claims he never intended 🐈to put Red Bull Formula 1 engine suppler Renault down with his criticism through 2018, but was only eager for progress to be made and more performance to be found by the French manufacturer.
V✤erstappen was vocal in his criticism of Renault’s power unit throughout the 2018 season as Red Bull struggled to match rivals Mercedes and 🍰Ferrari for outright power.
Reliability issues also sidelined Verstappen and teammate Daniel Ricciardo on a number of occasions, leaving Red Bull a distant third in🌠 the constructors’ cham♏pionship at the end of the year.
Red Bull will switch 𒀰to Honda engines for 2019 after deciding to end♐ its 11-year run with Renault.
Verstappen said he never looked to push Renault down with his commentsܫ across the course of the year, but felt he could not hold his tongue over recurring issues.
“It was never my intention to put them down, but I want to make it better. We now have a deal with Honda, but if we had continued with Renault next year, I would want us to make progress,” Ve🐼rstappen told Ziggo Sport.
"I am just very clear in what I say. I can also say that they can take it eas♔y, but I am not like that. It can and must be better, and I just always want full commitment.
“However, you have to be open to crit꧂icism, that is how I grew up. I'm sorry if you can’t deal with that, but I'm not here to join in with the Olympic idea.
“I want to win, and for that, all parties have to🍷 be committed."
Red Bull will be Honda’s main works team through the 2019 season, but Verstappen is still not thinking about a potential title challenge yet, believing the🌺re will still be ground to make up on the enꦜgine side at the start of the year.
“I do not expect 💃that we can really fight for the champions💝hip at the start of the season,” Verstappen said.
“But if we are just a little bit better than this year, we can be closer to the competition and run a consistent s𝓀eason, that is already an improvement for the championship.
“You do not necessarily need to have the best car.ꦫ"
