The numbers have been flowing in torrents since Max Verstappen’s dominant win at the Us Grand Prix in Austin Texas. Across just four race weekends the world champion has outscored championship leader Oscar Piastri by 64 points closing the gap to just 40.

There’s more than enough points available for Verstappen to pull off the biggest comeback in F1 history and he’s within two points of being able to win a record fifth consecutive drivers championship should he win all the Grand Prix and Sprint races remaining.

Its just two years ago, the Red Bull ace won 19 of the 22 races that year and his biggest winning streak of ten consecutive Grand Prix had never before been achieved. To win five Grand Prix and two Sprint’s is more than doable as Max’s muscle memory from 2023 will surely kick in.

 

 

 

Red Bull upgrades keep coming

The huge surprise was that Red Bull decided unlike McLaren, to continue developing their car when any hope of a title for Max looked forlorn. The key to the RB21’s revival has been the Monza floor upgrade which opened the previously narrow window for setup.

The proof of the pudding has been Yuki Tsunoda’s improved performances he has scored 14 of his 28 points for the season since Monza whilst Max has won three of the last four Grand Prix and the Austin Sprint last weekend.

When asked in Singapore could McLaren respond with their own late season upgrades, Lando Norris laughed stating “its too late.” Team principal Andrea Stella admitted both of his drivers could have done a better job in recent weekends and that there would been more upgrades coming for the struggling MCL39.

Norris spent much of his race in Austin stuck behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in a car which isn’t supposed to perform well in the heat. Yet the temperatures were searing and the McLaren for most of the race cold not make the pass, which should be something of a concern at the Woking Technology Centre.

Has F1 Lost Its Edge? Red Bull Mind Games Prove It’s Alive and Kicking

 

 

 

Leclerc and Russell making it tough for McLaren

In Singapore, George Russell announced that Mercedes were back in the hunt for race victories as he cruised to victory ahead of Verstappen. For McLaren its now becoming a big problem that Leclerc and Russell are up there and the once guaranteed papaya 1-2’s are a distant memory.

Speaking after the US Grand Prix, Stella told assembled media: “When it comes to new upgrades, new parts, then this will not happen for the rest of the season. In terms of the trend, today is a relatively reassuring race, because I think without having to fight with Charles, which was certainly an entertaining fight itself, I think Lando had the pace to win the race today.

“Obviously, he needed to gain the position on track, which is never easy with Max. And with a one-stop strategy, not necessarily we would have had many opportunities from a strategic point of view,” said Stella. “But performance-wise, I think we are reassured that the pace was sufficient to fight for the victory,” he concluded.

Alpine announce big driver change

 

 

 

Andrea Stella delusional?

Whether Stella was confusing the race in Austin with a re-run showing in the McLaren hospitality area – or maybe his upbeat message is to keep up the chins of the team – I don’t know, but his assessment is not what the rest of us watched unfold in Texas.

Not only did both Norris and Piastri not have the race pace to challenge for the win but they were crushed in qualifying by the world champion. Lando was 3/10ths slower than Max, who delivered his pole time on the first run of Q3. The team made a mistake and he failed to make it to start his second run, but it wasn’t necessary as Norris sneaked ahead of Charles Leclerc by 0.006 seconds.

The McLaren was expected to work well at the circuit of the America’s, and the team will tell themselves the valuable lost time running in the Sprint after Piastri took himself, Norris and Fernando Alonso out on lap one, was why their race pace was lacking.

Since its return to the F1 calendar, Mexico has not been a happy hunting ground for McLaren. Since the revival began with their fortunes in 2023, Piastri has claimed two P8 finishes whilst Norris was P5 and runner up to Carlos Sainz last season.

Tsunoda ‘not done enough’ as announcement in Mexico is expected

 

 

 

Red Bull have “something up their sleeve”

Meanwhile Max Verstappen has won five of the last seven Grand Prix at the the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and the Honda powered engine is rated the best at high altitude. Its surely Verstapopen’s race to lose. The question is how well will Ferrari and Mercedes fair and will one or both of Russell and Leclerc get ahead of the papaya liveried cars.

As if to make Andrea Stella’s life even more miserable, Red Bull’s Dr. Marko was bullish about Verstappen’s chances revealing the team had even more upgrades for the RB21 in the pipeline.

“We still have something up our sleeve. I don’t know exactly when it will come,” Marko told Austrian publication oe.24 after the US Grand Prix. “There’s a great atmosphere in the team right now,” Marko continued. “You can see that McLaren no longer has that ease. Piastri also struggled a bit more today. I hope it stays that way.

Franco Colapinto’s quiet resurgence

 

 

 

A glimpse of Ayrton Senna

“There is no longer a track where we are not competitive. And if there is, it’s Max who makes the difference,” he concluded. If Stella genuinely believes through Lando Norris McLaren had the pace to win in Austin that’s an incredible act of self delusion.

Of course having switched their focus to 2026 back in September, McLaren can’t turn on the process of designing new upgrades to save their hopes of a driver’s championship. The lead times from design to production and testing, as McLaren have done all season are longer than is the date of the final round in Abu Dhabi on December 7th.

For those who never saw Ayrton Senna, Max Verstappen is delivering performances this autumn easily on a par with the great Brazilian. If the title goes down to the last race of the season, it surely couldn’t repeat the drama of 2021 – or could it?

 

 

 

Rookie faces shock F1 race ban after chaotic Austin

Bearman set for race ban. – Oliver Bearman escapes one race ban for now – Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman is walking a tightrope given he is sitting on ten F1 driver penalty points with twelve being an automatic race ban. Ironically Bearman was the last driver to benefit from another being banned as he stood in for Kevin Magnussen for Haas last season at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

Yet unlike Magnussen who is known for his aggressive driving style, Oliver’s travels which have been punished by the stewards are defined by a lack of experience. His first points which will expire after the Mexican Grand Prix were issued in Saudi Arabia Paulo for a collision with Franco Colapinto in the second practice session (2pts).

The came Monaco this year and the British driver overtook Carlos Sainz under a red flag and was slammed by race control (2pts.) Again in Silverstone it was another red flag incident which attracted the attention of the stewards as Bearman did a racing pit entry in wet conditions and under the red flag. The result? He crashed heavily (4pts)…. READ MORE

There’s more than enough points available for Verstappen to pull off the biggest comeback in F1 history and he’s within two points of being able to win a record fifth consecutive drivers championship should he win all the Grand Prix and Sprint races remaining.

Its just two years ago, the Red Bull ace won 19 of the 22 races that year and his biggest winning streak of ten consecutive Grand Prix had never before been achieved. To win five Grand Prix and two Sprint’s is more than doable as Max’s muscle memory from 2023 will surely kick in.

 

 

 

Red Bull upgrades keep coming

The huge surprise was that Red Bull decided unlike McLaren, to continue developing their car when any hope of a title for Max looked forlorn. The key to the RB21’s revival has been the Monza floor upgrade which opened the previously narrow window for setup. 

The proof of the pudding has been Yuki Tsunoda’s improved performances he has scored 14 of his 28 points for the season since Monza whilst Max has won three of the last four Grand Prix and the Austin Sprint last weekend.

When asked in Singapore could McLaren respond with their own late season upgrades, Lando Norris laughed stating “its too late.” Team principal Andrea Stella admitted both of his drivers could have done a better job in recent weekends and that there would been more upgrades coming for the struggling MCL39.

Norris spent much of his race in Austin stuck behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc in a car which isn’t supposed to perform well in the heat. Yet the temperatures were searing and the McLaren for most of the race cold not make the pass, which should be something of a concern at the Woking Technology Centre.

Has F1 Lost Its Edge? Red Bull Mind Games Prove It’s Alive and Kicking

 

 

 

Leclerc and Russell making it tough for McLaren

In Singapore, George Russell announced that Mercedes were back in the hunt for race victories as he cruised to victory ahead of Verstappen. For McLaren its now becoming a big problem that Leclerc and Russell are up there and the once guaranteed papaya 1-2’s are a distant memory.

Speaking after the US Grand Prix, Stella told assembled media: “When it comes to new upgrades, new parts, then this will not happen for the rest of the season. In terms of the trend, today is a relatively reassuring race, because I think without having to fight with Charles, which was certainly an entertaining fight itself, I think Lando had the pace to win the race today.

“Obviously, he needed to gain the position on track, which is never easy with Max. And with a one-stop strategy, not necessarily we would have had many opportunities from a strategic point of view,” said Stella. “But performance-wise, I think we are reassured that the pace was sufficient to fight for the victory,” he concluded.

Alpine announce big driver change

 

 

 

Andrea Stella delusional?

Whether Stella was confusing the race in Austin with a re-run showing in the McLaren hospitality area – or maybe his upbeat message is to keep up the chins of the team – I don’t know, but his assessment is not what the rest of us watched unfold in Texas.

Not only did both Norris and Piastri not have the race pace to challenge for the win but they were crushed in qualifying by the world champion. Lando was 3/10ths slower than Max, who delivered his pole time on the first run of Q3. The team made a mistake and he failed to make it to start his second run, but it wasn’t necessary as Norris sneaked ahead of Charles Leclerc by 0.006 seconds.

The McLaren was expected to work well at the circuit of the America’s, and the team will tell themselves the valuable lost time running in the Sprint after Piastri took himself, Norris and Fernando Alonso out on lap one, was why their race pace was lacking.

Since its return to the F1 calendar, Mexico has not been a happy hunting ground for McLaren. Since the revival began with their fortunes in 2023, Piastri has claimed two P8 finishes whilst Norris was P5 and runner up to Carlos Sainz last season.

Tsunoda ‘not done enough’ as announcement in Mexico is expected

 

 

 

Red Bull have “something up their sleeve”

Meanwhile Max Verstappen has won five of the last seven Grand Prix at the the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez, and the Honda powered engine is rated the best at high altitude. Its surely Verstapopen’s race to lose. The question is how well will Ferrari and Mercedes fair and will one or both of Russell and Leclerc get ahead of the papaya liveried cars.

As if to make Andrea Stella’s life even more miserable, Red Bull’s Dr. Marko was bullish about Verstappen’s chances revealing the team had even more upgrades for the RB21 in the pipeline.

“We still have something up our sleeve. I don’t know exactly when it will come,” Marko told Austrian publication oe.24 after the US Grand Prix. “There’s a great atmosphere in the team right now,” Marko continued. “You can see that McLaren no longer has that ease. Piastri also struggled a bit more today. I hope it stays that way.

Franco Colapinto’s quiet resurgence

 

 

 

A glimpse of Ayrton Senna

“There is no longer a track where we are not competitive. And if there is, it’s Max who makes the difference,” he concluded. If Stella genuinely believes through Lando Norris McLaren had the pace to win in Austin that’s an incredible act of self delusion.

Of course having switched their focus to 2026 back in September, McLaren can’t turn on the process of designing new upgrades to save their hopes of a driver’s championship. The lead times from design to production and testing, as McLaren have done all season are longer than is the date of the final round in Abu Dhabi on December 7th.

For those who never saw Ayrton Senna, Max Verstappen is delivering performances this autumn easily on a par with the great Brazilian. If the title goes down to the last race of the season, it surely couldn’t repeat the drama of 2021 – or could it?

 

 

 

Rookie faces shock F1 race ban after chaotic Austin

Bearman set for race ban. – Oliver Bearman escapes one race ban for now – Haas F1 driver Oliver Bearman is walking a tightrope given he is sitting on ten F1 driver penalty points with twelve being an automatic race ban. Ironically Bearman was the last driver to benefit from another being banned as he stood in for Kevin Magnussen for Haas last season at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.

Yet unlike Magnussen who is known for his aggressive driving style, Oliver’s travels which have been punished by the stewards are defined by a lack of experience. His first points which will expire after the Mexican Grand Prix were issued in Saudi Arabia Paulo for a collision with Franco Colapinto in the second practice session (2pts).

The came Monaco this year and the British driver overtook Carlos Sainz under a red flag and was slammed by race control (2pts.) Again in Silverstone it was another red flag incident which attracted the attention of the stewards as Bearman did a racing pit entry in wet conditions and under the red flag. The result? He crashed heavily (4pts)…. READ MORE