Max Verstappen wins in Sepang and Singapore as Red Bull resurges

Red Bull resurgence and Mercedes momentum

Max Verstappen won the last two races in Sepang and Singapore, marking a turnaround for Red Bull as they head to the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas. Mercedes chief Toto Wolff expects this resurgence to lead to a "full-on fight" heading into the 2027 season. Mercedes closes in on a world championship double, with Kimi Antonelli able to clinch the drivers’ title as early as this weekend if results go his way. While Mercedes led the season with eight wins from the first 10 rounds of this new regulation era, they secured only three victories in the last seven races. Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull have all shown ability to challenge the Silver Arrows on race weekends. Wolff said he must take his hat off to how Red Bull developed the car into a package that allows Verstappen to feel a car that wants to drive. He also noted that the Red Bull engine’s energy recovery and deployment are high, and he suggested the power unit is not lagging, as indicated by the ADUO ranking. Wolff observed that Verstappen was the quickest driver in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

Ferrari disputes Red Bull dominance

Fred Vasseur does not consider Red Bull the team to beat, pointing to the continued competitiveness of Mercedes and McLaren. George Russell claimed that Red Bull is now the team with the target on its back, but Vasseur noted that the performance balance shifted throughout the season. Performance ebbs and flows were evident as Mercedes was flying at the start, followed by two wins for Ferrari, two for McLaren, and then two or three for Red Bull, including the sprint in Singapore. Vasseur explained that the competitive balance remains fluid because the performance gap between the top four teams in qualifying was less than two tenths of a second at the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Vasseur told media that the classification can change quickly if competitors bring new upgrades to the track. He emphasized that teams must focus on their own performance rather than thinking about others.

Red Bull shifts focus to 2027

Red Bull chases a third consecutive win this weekend in Austin to overhaul McLaren for third in the Constructors’ Championship. The team improved the stability and performance of the RB22 with a significant aerodynamic upgrade at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last month. Laurent Mekies stated that there will be no other substantial upgrade to the car for the remainder of this season. The team focuses its development programme on the 2027 car. Mekies said the team will use every remaining race to learn for this year and for next year. He also credited the work of Pierre Wache’s and Ben Hodgkinson’s teams at Milton Keynes for the ability to fight for wins on different tracks. Even after a weekend where the team took two poles and two wins in Singapore, Mekies said the team remains honest about having things they would like to see better done. The team’s first win remains a target, but the other target is to take all the learning from the 2026 season to use in 2027. The development programme will not change, and the team intends to reset and tackle the next race after their recent success.