Max Verstappen sent shockwaves through the McLaren team at the recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix with his charge to the chequered flag victory. His remarkable pole position lap sparked concern in Andrea Stella’s mind as the boss of the Woking team immediately observed the world champion once considered out of this year’s title race, is firmly back in the hunt.
When asked by reporters of the possibility of Max winning a record fifth consecutive drivers’ championship, the Italian was quick to respond: “A firm yes. Can you write it capital [letters]? First of all, he’s Max Verstappen -world champion for the last four years. In a fast car.”
That something Stella saw was not merely another moment of Verstappen brilliance in qualifying, but the fact that the Red Bull Monza upgrades were having a huge impact on the performance of the RB21.
Stella worried over improved RB21
“We have already seen in Monza that they improved, because the way they won Monza was something more, in our assessment, than simply a car that adapts well at low drag,” noted Stella. “They were fast in the corners, medium speed and low speed corners, fast in the straights, and we know that Max, when he has a competitive car, can deliver strong weekends.”
It was notable too that Verstappen at times was complaining in practice over the car bottoming out against the asphalt, something which reveals Red Bull have unlocked a key to running their car much lower than previously. This gives free downforce and in bundles which is why Stella notes the RB21 is competitive in different kinds of turn profiles.
Of course Singapore will be the next piece in the jigsaw puzzle to help us understand the true picture of the RB21 2.0. Red Bull have been awful at the Marina Bay circuit and in the year where the team one all races but one, it was the city state where the RB19 did not shine.
Should Red Bull run well next time out in the heat and humidity of the former British colony, the writing is really on the wall for McLaren and their drivers because the Red Bull can definitely win at the other six remaining venues which follow.
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Norris can be beaten by Max
Were Verstappen to win the remaining races and Norris finish second – including the Sprint – it would be the Dutchman who would retain his crown by eight points. Were it to be Piastri who finished second each time out to Max, the drivers’ title would go to the Australian by seventeen points.
Of course this all assumes there’s no reliability issues as the season draws to a close and it is Norris who has suffered more than his team mate in this area. Faulty brakes in China prevented Norris from continuing his charge to close down his team mate for the win, whilst George Russell made almost nine seconds up on the British driver over the final two laps alone.
It was Norris who suffered a terminal failure in Zandvvort with eight laps to go as the mechanics failed to fit an auxiliary hose properly. Both Norris and Piastri have crashed out of races due to driver error but the Australian has had better luck with reliability.
Ex-Haas F1 team boss and Netflix star, Guenther Steiner, now calls on McLaren to make Piastri their number one driver to head of the resurgent Max Verstappen. “In the end, you want to win the drivers’ championship as well, not only the constructors’,” Steiner told The Red Flags podcast. “The team is more important than the driver, and the drivers are, as I always say, and not diminishing, just part of a team.”
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Steiner calls for Piastri No.1
McLaren have the luxury of the constructors’ trophy being practically in the bag and with their drivers well ahead of the field they’ve been able to “let them race.” Were Verstappen against the odds to pull off a victory in Singapore with Norris eating into his team mates lead again, the decision which would have to made, may already be too late.
“Both cannot win, so instead of having two fighting and lose it all, you get somebody to win,” added Steiner. “As much as Lando is the face, and the favoured son, I think McLaren needs to be above that, and will be above that,” he added. “It is crazy, but you have to do it. In my opinion, you have to do it to win.”
The Italian suggests McLaren are playing a dangerous game by failing to act and the history books would not read well for the Woking based team. “I think they will take the decision, because otherwise, if they lose it because of that decision, how dumb do they look?
Have McLaren learned from 2024?
“I want to say, I think McLaren should have learned something out of last year, how they did it. It didn’t work. And if they do the same this year… Up to now, it was like, okay, Max is not a threat anyway.” He refers to the fact that the papaya liveried team refused to back Norris as challenger to Max Verstappen over his team mate – and by the time the decision was made, Verstappen was almost home and dry.
Yet all this changed with Stella’s assessment of Verstappen’s chances of another title being reignited but McLaren risk the wrath of the fans if the issue team orders and call of racing between their drivers.
“But now, it’s getting to a point where there could be some damage to the team in losing the drivers’ championship,” Steiner observes and the time to take the decision to make Piastri number one has come.
The time is now
“I would make it now, I would do it, because I just want to make sure I win the championship,” he said. “I said I think Max cannot get near, but if I already get the feeling there is a risk, why would I take it? And you also send a message to Max. He will do everything to win it.”
Yet in all likelihood, McLaren will defer any decision on making Piastri number one, hoping against hope that Singapore will be a circuit where Red Bull are not competitive. Yet for Piastri last time out, he misjudged the closeness of the walls twice in Baku, and in Singapore the intensity of racing close to the barriers is even higher.
Its not impossible the Aussie racer’s confidence will have been significantly knocked by his crashes in Baku and him being able to commit 100% on the Marina Bay circuit may be something he cannot do. By giving him number one status would take the pressure off to a certain degree, but one thing is certain never has an F1 race in Singapore had such significance.
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A.J. Hunt is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Andrew oversees editorial standards and contributes to the site’s Formula 1 coverage. A career journalist with experience in both print and digital sports media, Andrew trained in investigative journalism and has written for a range of European sports outlets.
At TJ13, Andrew plays a central role in shaping the site’s output, working across breaking news, analysis, and long-form features. Andrew’s responsibilities include fact-checking, refining editorial structure, and ensuring consistency in reporting across a fast-moving news cycle.
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