Don't rule Verstappen out for the title in 2021: 'I wouldn't write him off'

Red Bull disappoints

A second place for Max Verstappen was again a positive result, but the championship backlog has already risen to 77 points and Valtteri Bottas also stands for Verstappen in the championship with 33 points. So the promised title still seems a long way off for the Dutchman.

''Red Bull Racing belongs to the top and should make things difficult for Mercedes, but it has been seven years since they became world champions. They haven't done their homework properly and you still have an Achilles heel by not being an engine builder. You are always dependent. Honda has done well, but now that they are working on the speed, the reliability is a lot less. Falling out three times in nine races is painful,'' says Doornbos to Motorsport.com.

Verstappen not written off yet

However, the former Formula 1 driver does understand the statements of Helmut Marko prior to the season. ''That's part of the game. Marko is just proud and with Verstappen as a diamond on the grid he just wants to praise it. If you also look purely at the start of the season, he has the best season in terms of points,'' says Doornbos, who also doesn't want to exclude Verstappen as a title candidate for 2021.

''You still have the opportunity to use tokens and I expect a little more power from Honda as well. However, Adrian Newey and his team will also have to work, but there are still opportunities to close the gap. You don't win the title just like that, though, because then you have to be competitive on all circuits, now Max is often not competitive enough to win. I wouldn't write him off before 2021,'' concludes Doornbos.