Red Bull momentum builds as McLaren stalls

Max Verstappen’s post-Christian Horner revival continued in Singapore, with Red Bull suddenly back in the hunt for the world championship.

Although Verstappen still trails Oscar Piastri by 69 points, three consecutive shows of top competiveness have reignited Red Bull’s title hopes. Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde told Viaplay the turnaround may not be accidental. "The rumour is they found something with the suspension," he said.

"(Laurent) Mekies has also seen that the Racing Bull is a very good car, even on the curbs and bumps. In the last few races, you suddenly see the car perform much better. They've found something, but no one dares to say what it is."

He suggested Mekies may have carried some ideas from his stint running the sister team. "We don't know exactly what he took, but there are stories going around," Van der Garde added.

Yuki Tsunoda, who previously raced under Mekies, said his own improvements were linked to Red Bull’s new leadership. "I owe my improvement over the last few races to Laurent," he said.

"After Laurent came to Red Bull, he told the engineering side, 'Yuki did this to get better performance in this corner.' The setup I tried two races ago was the one I often used at Racing Bulls. When I drove with it, the car felt just right."

While McLaren’s pace has flattened, Red Bull and Mercedes have pushed on with developments. George Russell’s pole in Singapore showcased Mercedes’ progress, helped by a new front wing.

Sky Italia’s Matteo Bobbi observed: "They've changed the point where the downforce is generated, and seeing how much it flexes shows the speed advantage and the migration of downforce."

Red Bull also introduced a new front wing at Marina Bay, but Dr Helmut Marko credited a broader shift in method. "We've taken many different steps. For example, we've introduced several new components," he told ORF.

"However, the biggest gains come from a different approach. We're no longer relying on the values from the simulator; the engineers and drivers are now actually sitting down to discuss the situation. After that, we'll reach a compromise. It's clear that this will make us competitive at all circuits."

Mekies downplayed his personal influence but admitted Red Bull has closed the gap. "A huge credit to everyone at the factory for turning things around," he said. "We had a significant disadvantage, which has certainly been reduced. We're back in the game."

McLaren chief Zak Brown conceded the team’s advantage has evaporated. "We weren't fast enough," he said. "That shows how quickly this sport is developing." Marko agreed that Red Bull’s Singapore pace marked a breakthrough.

"We're competitive on our scary track, which gives us confidence for the rest of the season. As long as we finish ahead of the two McLarens here, it's a success for us."

Lando Norris also admitted the field has closed in. "Others have improved," he said. "Mercedes did a good job, and Red Bull have been strong over the past few weekends. None of this is a big surprise."

"The car is still the same, it's been the best of the season, but others are doing a better job," he added. "We have work to do. It's late in the season to say this, but there are things we need to improve for next year."

Team principal Andrea Stella confirmed McLaren stopped upgrades weeks ago. "We stopped developing the car a while ago and are fully focused on 2026," he said.

"Red Bull brought a new floor to Monza and a new front wing here. The evidence shows they've solved both problems, the difficulties at high-downforce circuits and the specific issues in Singapore, but we're talking about Red Bull here, an extremely capable team. And Max is a driver who is simply Max Verstappen."