Verstappen’s Secret Weapon Against McLaren: Strategy Over Speed

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull still has a fighting chance against McLaren’s faster cars as the season heads to its climax in Abu Dhabi.

“When strategy maybe comes into play or making the right calls at the right time, we might have the opportunity,” Verstappen told reporters after the race.

The four-time world champion isn’t kidding himself about where Red Bull stands on raw pace compared to Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri‘s McLarens.

“You need to also be realistic, that I think on pure pace, we’re not at the same level,” he admitted.

But racing isn’t just about who has the fastest car.

When asked about his hopes for the RB21’s potential in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen remained cautiously optimistic.

“I have no idea. I mean, again, I hope that we start the weekend well. That would help a lot,” he said. “I think on pure pace, it will be tough, but a race like today also shows that it’s not always straightforward, a Grand Prix, and a lot of things can happen. So I’m probably relying a little bit on that.”

It’s this mindset that makes Verstappen so dangerous.

The ruthlessness we’ve seen from him over the last four seasons is why both McLaren drivers might be losing sleep.

Verstappen rarely makes mistakes, which is exactly why he’s still in the championship hunt despite not having the fastest car.

Mekies Backs Verstappen to Deliver

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies believes in his driver’s exceptional ability to maximize whatever car he’s given.

“What we need to do in Abu Dhabi is what we needed to do here. We need to put the car in the right window. As you can see, it’s not exactly straightforward every race weekend,” Mekies explained.

“And then if we do that, Max can fight for the win.”

Mekies highlighted what makes Verstappen special among drivers.

“He’s going to extract more out of the tyres than most people out there.”

Can clever strategy and Verstappen’s driving brilliance overcome McLaren’s speed advantage? The Abu Dhabi showdown will give us the answer.