Verstappen: 2019 title challenge unlikely

Max Verstappen says a Honda-powered title challenge for Red Bull is unlikely to arrive in 2019. A failure to keep pace with Mercedes and Ferrari has prompted Red Bull to ditch Renault in favour of the Japanese manufacturer, although Daniel Ricciardo has thrown his lot in with the French team.

The respective progress made by Renault and Red Bull in 2019 will be fascinating. Renault have claimed that they do not expect to win races in 2019, but remain certain they will be title challengers by 2021.

And Verstappen is treading in a similarly cautious manner - although his projection for his own ascension into regular contention is more optimistic.

On his hopes of challenging in 2019, Verstappen told Ziggo Sport: "Everyone wants that, but in Formula 1 that's a tricky thing.

"At first we will need to take some more steps, but hopefully at the end we will be close. The year after, we should be out in full force.

"Looking at where [Honda] came from the last couple of years, they have advanced considerably. You very rarely see something get broken.

"The most important thing is that they want to take things to the limit. They have the means, which is very important if you want to take on the likes of Ferrari and Mercedes.

"All in all, Honda is a much more serious candidate. They have already been on the test rig and want a lot of gearboxes from us to prepare themselves for the coming year. They are enormously driven and want to do thousands of miles on the test rig."

Verstappen offered a withering assessment of team-mate Ricciardo's move to Renault in Belgium, saying it was not the right "scenery" for the Australian to seek.

"The whole team was surprised especially that he would be going to Renault," he said.

"If you move to Ferrari or Mercedes, a team would understand that. But even Christian Horner said it himself that he thought that he was making a joke, so that says it all."