Formula 1 News: Red Bull resurgence leaves McLaren scrambling
(GMM) Max Verstappen’s post-Christian Horner revival continued in Singapore, as Red Bull’s title chase suddenly looks alive again.
Although 69 points still separate him from championship leader Oscar Piastri, Verstappen is now on a three-race surge that has dragged Red Bull back into the fight.
Former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde told Viaplay that the team’s progress may not be coincidental. “The rumor is they found something with the suspension,” he revealed.
“(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 hinted that new Red Bull team boss Laurent Mekies may have brought ideas from his time in charge of Red Bull’s second F1 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, agrees. “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 dipped, Red Bull and Mercedes have kept developing. Mercedes impressed in Singapore with George Russell’s pole, aided by a new front wing.
Sky Italia’s Matteo Bobbi noted: “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 brought a fresh front wing to Marina Bay, though Dr Helmut Marko insists the real gains came from a shift in philosophy.
“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 himself played down his influence but admitted the team had turned a corner. “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 CEO Zak Brown conceded that the team’s dominance has faded. “We weren’t fast enough,” he said after qualifying. “That shows how quickly this sport is developing.”
Marko agreed, noting that Red Bull’s pace at a traditionally weak venue like Singapore was telling. “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.”
A frank Lando Norris admitted the others have caught up. “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,” Norris 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.”
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella confirmed the Woking team 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.”