Red Bull plot late-season upgrade push as Verstappen eyes improbable title comeback
Max Verstappen is set to receive further updates to Red Bull's RB21 as the team mounts a late-season charge against McLaren in both the drivers' and constructors' championships. After a mid-season slump, the car has rebounded strongly with a new floor at Monza and a revised front wing in Singapore — changes that helped unlock aero grip and balance.
Upgrades fuel results — and more are coming
Verstappen stunned McLaren by taking pole and victory in Italy, followed by another win in Azerbaijan and a second place in Singapore behind George Russell. With six races and three sprints remaining, Red Bull is closing in with renewed momentum.
"We will have other stuff coming. Not the next grand prix, maybe a little bit later," said Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché to RacingNews365. "Clearly, the constructors' championship is not finished for us. It's very important. With the philosophy of this team, with every race we participate in this championship, we never give anything away."
Waché explained the team's cadence and trade-offs in development this season:
"We compromised a little bit at the beginning of the year… We're a little late in development, a little late finalising the next car. It's the way our system works, and we take the benefit of it this year. We have very good capacity internally in terms of manufacturing. It's what we are good at."
"What we have now and what we have a little bit later are developed a long time in advance. It's not like from yesterday."
The title maths: why a comeback is plausible
Verstappen trails Oscar Piastri by 63 points and Lando Norris by 41, with 174 points still on the table across the final six grands prix and three sprint weekends. Red Bull is also within striking distance in the constructors' standings, just 35 points behind Mercedes and eight behind Ferrari.
Historical context offers encouragement. In 2007, Kimi Räikkönen overturned a 17-point deficit to Lewis Hamilton with only 40 points available in the final four rounds. At a similar juncture, Verstappen's 63-point shortfall represents around 36% of the remaining points — a lighter lift than Räikkönen's 42.5% proportion. Even without sprints, Verstappen's required recovery (circa 42%) would mirror the Finn's feat.
Form and dynamics favour the chase
- Recent form: Verstappen has finished second or better in his last four outings, underscoring the RB21's upswing. As the champion noted after Singapore: "We do understand the car a lot better, we have definitely improved in the last few races."
- Points structure: Modern scoring amplifies swings — up to 34 points available on a sprint weekend — compared to 10 for a win in 2007.
- Rival dynamics: McLaren's duo of Piastri and Norris can take points from each other, as Ferrari's and McLaren's pairings did in past title runs.
The path remains steep, but the combination of incremental upgrades, improved car understanding, and favourable scoring mechanics keeps Verstappen's fifth consecutive title within mathematical reach — while Red Bull simultaneously hunts a late surge in the constructors' fight.
