Follow us on Google Discover Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen are suddenly thinking that they could be about to pull off one of the greatest comebacks in Formula 1 history.
Max Verstappen added another victory to his tally at the United States Grand Prix during a perfect weekend at the Circuit of the Americas.
Verstappen didn’t even need two runs during qualifying to take pole position, and would have completed another career Grand Slam were it not for Kimi Antonelli taking the fastest lap.
Red Bull started the season a long way off the pace of McLaren, with Verstappen having to use all of his talent to win at Suzuka and Imola.
However, the summer break appears to have been the turning point, with Red Bull bringing several updates in recent races.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 346 2 332 3 306 4 252 5 192 6 142 7 89 8 73 9 41 10 39
Verstappen was 104 points behind Oscar Piastri after his home race at Zandvoort, but since the Dutch Grand Prix, the four-time world champion has only dropped seven points.
In that time, Piastri has only finished on the podium once, crashing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, being subjected to team orders at Monza and getting frustrated with McLaren for not taking immediate action when Lando Norris crashed into him in Singapore.
Commentator and journalist James Allen was at the United States Grand Prix and commented on the contrasting feelings within the Red Bull and McLaren garages.
It’s safe to say one group are feeling far more confident than the other.
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Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesRed Bull have got their ‘swagger back’ as Max Verstappen wins the United States Grand Prix
Allen was covering the race for Autosport and witnessed Red Bull outscore McLaren over a race weekend for only the third time this season, after Azerbaijan and Canada.
He suggested that McLaren’s ‘team spirit is being severely tested’, and that the ‘mood is tense in the camp’.
However, further down the pit lane at Red Bull, he suggested that the team’s mechanics have got their ‘swagger back, pumping out tunes’ as they work late into the evening, ‘like the old times’.
Red Bull have found a way to give Verstappen exactly what he wants on every type of circuit, and looking at the races coming up, Piastri and Norris will be getting nervous.
Position Constructors’ Standings PointsPts 1 678 2 341 3 334 4 331 5 111 6 72 7 69 8 59 9 48 10 20
Norris claims Verstappen was ‘very strong’ at the Circuit of the Americas, and even if he hadn’t been stuck behind Charles Leclerc, he’s not sure he would have caught him.
The next race in Mexico City has always suited Verstappen, although he didn’t have a great time at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez last season.
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Lando Norris will be hoping for a repeat of Max Verstappen’s struggles at the Mexico City Grand Prix
At this point last season, Verstappen was doing everything he could to stop Norris cutting into his lead in the drivers’ championship.
Verstappen went into the race with a 57-point advantage and qualified directly ahead of Norris with Carlos Sainz on pole position.
However, the Dutchman could only finish sixth, with Norris second, after picking up two penalties for leaving the track and gaining an advantage as they fought on the track.
Damon Hill criticised Verstappen’s racing at the Mexico City Grand Prix, but ultimately, his action prevented Norris from catching Sainz and putting a bigger dent in his championship lead.
McLaren need to decide whether Piastri or Norris is going to become a rear gunner for their teammate to try and fend off Verstappen.
If they don’t, there’s a serious risk that he overtakes them both before the end of the campaign.