F1 news: Max Verstappen makes Red Bull prediction involving Mercedes and Ferrari
MAX VERSTAPPEN expects Red Bull to still lag behind F1 rivals Mercedes and Ferrari in the immediate aftermath of their switch to Honda engines.
Verstappen has been vocal this season in his disapproval of the power units Renault have supplied to Red Bull.
But he has just one race to go with the French manufacturers’ engines, this Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Red Bull will ditch Renault for Honda ahead of the 2019 campaign - a change Max Verstappen will certainly hope bears fruit.
Red Bull have made positive noises about the power units Honda will supply, after having worked with the Japanese company in their junior Toro Rosso team.
And while Verstappen insists the progress of Honda’s engines has not been overstated, he has predicted Mercedes and Ferrari will still be the early pacesetters next year.
"What we're saying about Honda is not a lie," Verstappen told Swiss magazine Speedweek.
"We are not just putting something into the world that is not right. We see the whole numbers.
"But of course, everything will depend on the progress of our competition.
"I am a realist. I estimate that we will lag behind in terms of performance at the beginning of the 2019 season.
"But we will definitely be better off then than we are today.
"Whether that's enough to get involved at the top we will have to see."
Verstappen’s criticism of Renault’s engines prompted a response from their chief technical officer Rob Bell.
"For Max, it's all about being fast because he's young and in a hurry," Bell said.
"He wants to win because he knows he has the potential and he's disappointed that his car lets him down. But he only blames our engine.
"We make no changes to the engines we use for our [works] cars and the ones that go to our customers.
"It may be the installation of the engines that affect the Red Bull cars, or maybe they've just been unlucky."