Red Bull confirms ‘something up our sleeve’ as McLaren makes MCL39 decision

Max Verstappen’s chances of hunting down McLaren in the standings will be given a timely boost before the end of the season, as Helmut Marko has confirmed Red Bull will continue to upgrade the RB21.

The Milton Keynes squad brought its last big update to the track at Monza where it introduced a new floor that has been pivotal to Verstappen’s recent success as the driver chases a fifth successive World title.

Max Verstappen: All you need to know about his title chances

⦁ Max Verstappen is 40 points off the pace in the Drivers’ standings
⦁ Red Bull reveals welcome boost with further upgrades to come
⦁ McLaren will not update the MCL39

Despite his title hopes appearing to be dashed at the Dutch Grand Prix when he dropped 104 points behind Piastri, Verstappen has gone on a charge since.

The reigning World Champion has scored 101 points in four race weekends out of the maximum 108 that were available, revitalising his title chances as he’s slashed his deficit to 40 points.

It’s put pressure on the shoulders of championship leader Piastri, who has had a scruffy run with just one podium in the last four grands prix. He’s also recorded two retirements, crashing out of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on the opening lap and also crashing out of the Sprint in Austin in a multi-car collision.

McLaren has found itself in the midst of its worst period of the campaign, having not won in four race weekends. Worryingly for Piastri and his teammate Lando Norris, they’ll have to contest the final five grands prix with the MCL39 as it is, as the team won’t introduce further updates.

“When it comes to new upgrades, new parts, then this will not happen for the rest of the season,” team principal Andrea Stella told the accredited media, including PlanetF1.com, after the United States GP.

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That’s music to Marko’s ears.

“We still have something up our sleeves. I don’t know exactly when it will come,” the Red Bull motorsport advisor revealed to OE24.

The 82-year-old also highlighted McLaren’s fading form, especially when it comes to Piastri, which is in sharp contrast to Red Bull’s improvement.

“You can see now that McLaren no longer has this lightness. Piastri also had a harder time. I hope it stays that way,” he said.

“There is no longer a track where we haven’t been competitive. And if we are, it’s Max who makes the difference.”

Nearing the end of a season in which momentum is firmly with Verstappen, the good news kept coming with rain forecast for the Mexican Grand Prix.

And that, as Marko put it, “that means absolute Verstappen time!”

Verstappen put his recent success down to Red Bull’s strides forward with the RB21, which he says is a lot more driveable than it was earlier in the year.

“The car is just a bit more balanced – it doesn’t oversteer dramatically, it doesn’t understeer dramatically,” he said. “Every single weekend you’re always fine-tuning things, because it’s never perfect. The car lately has been a bit more together.

“At the same time, it’s not about believing in [the title] or not, we just need to be realistic. For most of the season that was definitely the case, that we were not fighting for the championship, and lately we’ve had some good results.

“I know when the car is capable of being quick and fighting for the top places, I can be there. It’s as simple as that, I would say.”

As for his title chances, he said: “It’s 50/50. You either win it, or you don’t. I don’t really think about it.

Yes, it’s ‘absolute Verstappen time’

Max Verstappen is on a charge, one that would put his name (again) in Formula 1’s history books,

He already holds the record for the biggest swing in modern-day Formula 1, having overturned a 46-point deficit to Charles Leclerc to win the 2022 title.

104, that’s monumental.

But if there is one driver who could do it, it is Verstappen. The Dutchman already holds many Formula 1 records, and the youngest driver to win five and only the second driver to win five on the trot beckon.

But it won’t be easy. Although McLaren is off the boil compared to Verstappen at present, the Woking team is still in the dominant position of having two drivers sitting 1-2 in the standings, 40 and 26 points ahead of Verstappen respectively.

McLaren, though, may have to play the team game and sacrifice one driver’s dream to ensure the season’s double as Verstappen smells blood.

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