McLaren Dominates as Verstappen Calls for Red Bull Improvements
Austria—As the Formula 1 season progresses, Max Verstappen has acknowledged McLaren’s impressive performance, describing it as "quite extraordinary." Heading into the Austrian Grand Prix, the championship landscape shows McLaren’s Oscar Piastri leading teammate Lando Norris by 22 points, while Verstappen trails by 43 points.
McLaren has showcased its dominance this season, securing victories in seven of the first ten races—five attributed to Piastri and two to Norris. Verstappen emphasized the need for Red Bull to enhance its competitiveness to vie for the drivers’ championship.
“A lot needs to happen for that, to be honest,” Verstappen stated. “We need to start winning races more often. And how do we do that? By being more competitive.” Reflecting on a recent performance at the Canadian Grand Prix, he acknowledged that while Red Bull showed potential, it wasn’t enough. "We just need to make the car faster. Then we make it a lot easier for ourselves," he remarked, underscoring that performance improvements are critical.
Despite McLaren’s upper hand, Verstappen has not been without success, claiming two wins and a trio of second-place finishes this season. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner remains optimistic about mitigating the points deficit, noting, “There’s still a significant points gap…but we don’t give up on anything. We’re not even at the halfway point yet.”
The upcoming double-header at Austria and Great Britain is expected to be pivotal for Red Bull, followed by a Sprint event at the Belgian Grand Prix. With three more Sprint races scheduled in the final rounds, including events in the United States and Brazil, the championship battle is far from over.
