With two dominant victories in a row, Red Bull has regained some momentum in Formula 1. The Italian and Azerbaijan grands prix even evoked memories of Verstappen’s glory days of 2023.
However, just weeks before those wins, such a scenario seemed unthinkable. Red Bull had been struggling on tracks like the Hungaroring, where Verstappen finished only ninth, even ending up behind the Racing Bulls of Liam Lawson.
The four-time world champion admitted that at times he wondered whether Red Bull could still turn things around this season. “In the end you always go through certain difficult moments,” he commented. “And of course, sometimes you do think, ‘Is this going to be okay, can we still turn things around?’
“But on the other hand, there’s no point to keep thinking like that. You always have to look for solutions, talk to people inside the team, and exchange ideas in a positive way. At the end of the day, that what it’s all about and that’s what we have done.”
Since the summer break, things have looked much better for the Milton Keynes-based squad, thanks to a new floor and what Helmut Marko described as a slightly different philosophy.
“We don’t need to try so many things with the car anymore. Not having to make those radical changes during a race weekend makes it much more enjoyable,” Verstappen said.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Alexander Nemenov / AFP via Getty Images
Asked by Autosport if Red Bull was now able to find the RB21’s operating window – however small that may be – more often, he answered: “Yes. And that’s down to all the things we’ve learned about this car.”
Although Verstappen wants to wait for the Singapore Grand Prix and stresses it’s too early to talk about a title bid, Red Bull has undeniably made progress. That’s also reflected in the paddock, where the atmosphere at Red Bull is noticeably better than earlier this year, with a crisis meeting held after the disastrous Bahrain round.
“We’ve experienced a lot of incredible moments together over the past years. So when you go through a tough period, of course, that’s not pleasant for anyone inside the team,” Verstappen reflected.
Hence, his recent victories taste even sweeter: “When you see that things are going well again, that makes those wins extra special, especially because of how we got through the bad moments together. The atmosphere is very good now, and that is also important.
“It gives people a bit more confidence, and sometimes that confidence is really important. They see some light at the end of the tunnel again and know that what they’re working on is actually okay.”
New team boss Laurent Mekies and technical director Pierre Wache played key roles in this turnaround, and asked what was his, Verstappen laughed: “Well, just driving some laps.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Yuki Tsunoda, Red Bull Racing Team, Dr Helmut Marko, Team Consultant, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
The success actually comes down to the team’s communication with Verstappen, who previously noted that Mekies asks “the right questions”.
He added: “We’ve had a lot of discussions about how we can improve things and how we can test certain elements. In the end it turns out that we’ve handled that quite well.”
In a way, the current trajectory fits a pattern Red Bull has shown before. Even before Verstappen started winning titles, Red Bull tended to start seasons on the slow before car development propelled it to race wins.
“Yes, that’s true, but that was still a very different situation,” Verstappen nuanced. “Back then it was also related to aerodynamics and upgrades, but it’s a bit different now with the budget cap.”
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