68 GPRACING MARCH 2020
highly rated by Helmut. Max is for surea
top-paid driver.”
Maybe not as wellpaid as Lewis...
“I don’t know how much Lewis gets.”
Reports put Hamilton’s figure at around
£40million per season.
“OK... I onlycan tell you we have done well...”
The other interesting element of Max’s deal
is that it runs two seasons beyond Honda’s
presently confirmed commitmentto F1. The
Verstappens are sworn to secrecy on whether
Max has a clause in his new contract that allows
him to leave Red Bull if Hondawalks away
from F1, though some parts ofthe media have
reported thisto be the case.
“We agreed not to talk about it,” says Jos.
“We knowwhat it is in there and that’s important
betweenus and theteam.”
However, Jos does hint at the possibility
Max’s fresh commitment to the Red Bull-Honda
project may help persuade anywavering Honda
executives, given the deep developing respectthe
Japanese manufacturer holds for Verstappen’s
key role in making Honda successful again in F1.
“We can stay until 2023 – that’s important,”
Jos explains.“And we hope that Honda is going
to continue – and maybe with this deal it gives
them also the trust andthe fa ith to continueuntil
that point. It will help, I think. Honda gave an
interview [about] how much they like Max, andI
think that only helps to keep them with Red Bull.”Red Bull is naturally looking towards atitle
challenge this season, after a promising first
campaign paired with Honda in 2019. The team
started slowly last year but is better prepared
heading into 2020, and winter running on
Honda’s Sakura engine dynos has given everyone
further encouragement.
Of course, it’s easy to be optimistic when the
first qualifying session of the season has yet to
deal a cold hard blow of reality to everyone’s
competitive dreams, but Verstappen signing
on the dotted line so early, and for so long, is a
genuine statement of belief in the future of the
Red Bull-Honda project and what Horner calls
the “phenomenal turnaround” Honda has made
since splitting with McLaren.
The pressure will surely come if the 2020
package is not within the two-tenths-of-a-second
margin Max has identified as adeficit he can
work with against Mercedes andFerra ri – but
at least all parties can now focus on their work
without the looming distraction of mid-season
contract negotiations.
“There’s no pointdoing that during the season
because it only makes life harder,” Jos adds. “As
soon as a driver leaves the team, or when they
think they’re gonna leave, they’re hiding things...
Now it’s all there [the open commitment] to keep
working hard together. This is good. We are in
a fantastic place. Max is happy. And this is the
most important thing.”“WE CAN STAY
UNTIL 2023 –
THAT’S IMPORTANT
AND WE HOPE THAT
HONDA IS GOING TO
CONTINUE – AND
MAYBE WITH THIS
DEAL IT GIVES
THEM ALSO THE
TRUST AND THE
FAITH TO CONTINUE
UNTIL THAT POINT.
IT WILL HELP, I
THINK. HONDA GAVE
AN INTERVIEW
[ABOUT] HOW
MUCH THEY LIKE
MAX, AND I THINK
THAT ONLY HELPS
TO KEEP THEM
WITH RED BULL”
JOS VERSTAPPEN68 GPRACING MARCH 2020
highly rated by Helmut. Max is for surea
top-paid driver.”
Maybe not as wellpaid as Lewis...
“I don’t know how much Lewis gets.”
Reports put Hamilton’s figure at around
£40million per season.
“OK... I onlycan tell you we have done well...”
The other interesting element of Max’s deal
is that it runs two seasons beyond Honda’s
presently confirmed commitmentto F1. The
Verstappens are sworn to secrecy on whether
Max has a clause in his new contract that allows
him to leave Red Bull if Hondawalks away
from F1, though some parts ofthe media have
reported thisto be the case.
“We agreed not to talk about it,” says Jos.
“We knowwhat it is in there and that’s important
betweenus and theteam.”
However, Jos does hint at the possibility
Max’s fresh commitment to the Red Bull-Honda
project may help persuade anywavering Honda
executives, given the deep developing respectthe
Japanese manufacturer holds for Verstappen’s
key role in making Honda successful again in F1.
“We can stay until 2023 – that’s important,”
Jos explains.“And we hope that Honda is going
to continue – and maybe with this deal it gives
them also the trust andthe fa ith to continueuntil
that point. It will help, I think. Honda gave an
interview [about] how much they like Max, andI
think that only helps to keep them with Red Bull.”Red Bull is naturally looking towards atitle
challenge this season, after a promising first
campaign paired with Honda in 2019. The team
started slowly last year but is better prepared
heading into 2020, and winter running on
Honda’s Sakura engine dynos has given everyone
further encouragement.
Of course, it’s easy to be optimistic when the
first qualifying session of the season has yet to
deal a cold hard blow of reality to everyone’s
competitive dreams, but Verstappen signing
on the dotted line so early, and for so long, is a
genuine statement of belief in the future of the
Red Bull-Honda project and what Horner calls
the “phenomenal turnaround” Honda has made
since splitting with McLaren.
The pressure will surely come if the 2020
package is not within the two-tenths-of-a-second
margin Max has identified as adeficit he can
work with against Mercedes andFerra ri – but
at least all parties can now focus on their work
without the looming distraction of mid-season
contract negotiations.
“There’s no pointdoing that during the season
because it only makes life harder,” Jos adds. “As
soon as a driver leaves the team, or when they
think they’re gonna leave, they’re hiding things...
Now it’s all there [the open commitment] to keep
working hard together. This is good. We are in
a fantastic place. Max is happy. And this is the
most important thing.”“WE CAN STAY
UNTIL 2023 –
THAT’S IMPORTANT
AND WE HOPE THAT
HONDA IS GOING TO
CONTINUE – AND
MAYBE WITH THIS
DEAL IT GIVES
THEM ALSO THE
TRUST AND THE
FAITH TO CONTINUE
UNTIL THAT POINT.
IT WILL HELP, I
THINK. HONDA GAVE
AN INTERVIEW
[ABOUT] HOW
MUCH THEY LIKE
MAX, AND I THINK
THAT ONLY HELPS
TO KEEP THEM
WITH RED BULL”
JOS VERSTAPPEN