Max Verstappen Roars Back Into Title Fight After Back-to-Back Wins
Red Bull’s resurgence has thrown the Formula 1 championship wide open, with Max Verstappen now firmly back in contention after slashing Oscar Piastri‘s lead by 35 points in just two weekends.
The Dutchman’s commanding victories at Monza and Baku have set alarm bells ringing at McLaren.
“We’re talking about Max Verstappen, we’re talking about Red Bull,” said McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella. “They seem to have made an improvement with their car. They were fast in the corners, medium speed and low speed corners, fast in the straights… So they might have a lot of performance.”
Stella didn’t mince words about the threat Verstappen now poses.
“I would not be surprised at all that Red Bull may continue the streak that they have started. But definitely Max is in the contention for the Drivers’ Championship. We knew it and we got confirmation today.”
Red Bull believes they’ve finally unlocked the sweet spot with their RB21 car. What started at Zandvoort has now translated into pole positions and race wins at two very different circuits.
This momentum could be crucial heading into Singapore next weekend.
But McLaren’s not giving up. Their cars have shown exceptional strength in hot conditions – something that could be decisive under Singapore’s notorious humidity.
Piastri himself seems unfazed by Verstappen’s comeback.
“I’m not going to rule him out, but I’m honestly not too concerned,” the points leader said calmly. “I’m just trying to bounce back from this weekend and put in the best performances that I can. And I know that if I get back to where I know I can be, then I’ll be more than okay.”
The Australian did acknowledge that having Verstappen in the mix adds a new dynamic to his battle with teammate Lando Norris.
“If Max is in the middle of us and I’m ahead, then it’s good for me. If it’s the opposite way around, then it’s bad for me. So there are positives and negatives to that.”
Norris, meanwhile, delivered a stark warning about counting out Verstappen too early.
“Max was winning races already at the beginning of the year. He could have won round one. I think he was pretty close to winning round two in the sprint or something. The whole season, they’ve been quick,” Norris pointed out.
“They brought some upgrades to Monza, which seems to have helped them improve even more. So not a surprise. I think we know that they’re an incredibly strong team and one of the best drivers ever in Formula 1.”
“They’re going to make our life difficult, I think, for the rest of the season.”
## Singapore: The Ultimate Test
Singapore’s street circuit will be the real proving ground for Red Bull’s improvements. The extreme heat and humidity create unique challenges for every team.
McLaren dominated the last race run in similar conditions, securing an impressive 1-2 finish.
Has Red Bull’s recent progress been enough to overcome this? McLaren clearly isn’t taking anything for granted.
As their CEO often says about F1’s unpredictability: where there’s smoke, there’s fire.
With seven races still to go, this championship battle just got a whole lot more interesting.
