F1 News: Upgrade turns Red Bull 'Sled' into competitive car

(GMM) A “breakthrough” at Red Bull may have arrived in the nick of time to rescue Max Verstappen’s quest for a fifth consecutive world championship.

The Dutchman, and the team, headed to Imola ruing the “depressing” dominance displayed by McLaren in Miami. Team advisor Dr Helmut Marko and Verstappen’s father Jos admitted the upgrade package for Imola was probably the last chance to put the campaign back on track.

“We brought several new parts here,” a delighted Red Bull advisor Marko said after Verstappen won from 2nd place on Sunday, reducing his championship deficit to just 22 points.

“I think we were even better than McLaren,” the Austrian added. “We were simply faster.

“This is the first time in a year that the upgrades have had a positive effect on the car. I am happy and we are going to Monaco next week with a lot of confidence.”

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing and Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant of Oracle Red Bull Racing talk in the Paddock prior to the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia-Romagna at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari on May 18, 2025 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool //

Crucially, although Imola suits the 2025 car’s characteristics – where Monaco is expected not to – Red Bull also seems to have slashed McLaren’s high-profile advantage with tire degradation.

“We were at least as good as them when it comes to tire wear,” Marko said. “This is the first time in a long time that the balance of the car was good enough to let Max do what he wants.

“Thank God we got to see such a result.”

Earlier, team figures lamented a clear correlation problem between the wind tunnel and the track. “We are starting to understand that better now,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner said.

“We brought so many new parts to this race and that turned out to be a huge factor.”

Red Bull Technical director Pierre Wache, who has faced criticism following the departure of Adrian Newey, gave a rare interview after the checkered flag on Sunday.

The headline-grabber is that he admitted Imola was basically a “breakthrough” for Red Bull on the occasion of its 400th grand prix.

“I think so,” the Frenchman said. “The upgrades have clearly benefited us, also in terms of how we can manage the tires. We were able to take a first step in Miami, and now we have taken a second step.

“We have improved our setup enormously, and the new package also gives more opportunities to improve further.”

Most top teams brought significant upgrades to Imola, but McLaren boss Andrea Stella says the Woking based team now needs to do more to re-establish its position as having clearly the fastest and best car of 2025.

“With the updates from Red Bull, we have to be on our guard,” he said. “Red Bull brought new things to this race and will bring them to the next one, so we can’t wait around. But it will take a few more races to achieve significant new features.”

Wache agreed: “McLaren still has a very good car, which they are also still developing. We have to keep pushing hard.”

As for Verstappen, having earlier not ruled out escaping the Red Bull team for 2026, he said it was a relief to feel “happy” about his car for the first time in a while.

However, he warned in conversation with Viaplay: “I think it’s important to remain calm for the moment, and not to start shouting too much right away.”

His biggest worry, though, had been about McLaren’s far-superior tire management. “My tires were still going (degrading),” the 27-year-old said on Sunday, “but it was a bit better than most others around us.”