Steiner has clear advice for Verstappen entering the 2025 title battle

According to Steiner, the Dutchman made a mistake over the course of the previous season. By that time, McLaren and Ferrari managed to catch up to Red Bull, who were dominant in 2023, but Verstappen still only focused on winning in his eyes.

"In the middle of the season, he fought too hard, in my opinion. He wanted to win and didn't realise you could not win anymore at the moment. You need to take the points to win the championship," the former team principal began to ESPN.

'Verstappen can't complain'

Steiner believes Verstappen's approach will also determine the outcome of the season. According to him, a positive Verstappen is needed, rather than one that complains a lot. "When they start to complain, it never helps to improve the situation. When the driver is against the team, saying we are not doing a good job, that is not motivation."

He continued: "He needs to roll his sleeves up and work with the team to make it good again, as good as it was maybe two years ago. Maybe he has grown up a bit and learned last year that that's the only way for him to win the next championship, the team needs to put the work in."

While Red Bull have also lost key figures like Adrian Newey (joined Aston Martin) and Jonathan Wheatley (joined Audi), but the Italian sees the Austrians are 'a good team still': "It's just about working everybody together. Let's see if he can get into that position to be the leader to take them there," he concluded.

This article was written in collaboration with Ludo van Denderen