'2021 must be the year for Red Bull, Honda and Verstappen!'

At a track where Mercedes is normally untouchable, Max Verstappen won the last Grand Prix of the year. The Dutchman himself does not see it as an omen that the gap with Mercedes has been closed. Tom Coronel thinks otherwise. "It is the sobriety with which Max was brought up, but that victory certainly says something," the driver told Motorsport.com.

"Everyone has ended the season with the idea that Red Bull has come closer than expected. You can say that the Mercedes engine wasn't being developed any more and that it had been scaled back, but that's all hot air. Mercedes really wants to win such a race. Besides, we will have to wait and see if those early developments will work in practice", Coronel continues.

Battle between Verstappen and Hamilton

The Dutchman has a good feeling about the upcoming season and that is mainly because of how things are going at Red Bull Racing and Honda. It is, after all, the engine manufacturer's final year in the sport. "This has to be the year. They are coming out with a completely new engine, so that is already a good thing. You also see that Max has become a bit more skilful and clever, he keeps on growing. Red Bull also knows that if they want to keep Max, they have to give him more than in recent years. Add all those things together and it's all or nothing this year".

And that is necessary too according to the WTCR driver. "Hopefully we'll get an equal battle at the front and it will be a championship spectacle again. F1 needs that. I don't care who wins, as long as it is close. Not that we have a one-second gap at the start of this season", Coronel concludes.