Red Bull rebounding post-Monza, looks to finish season strong

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

The renowned Formula 1 team, Red Bull, is gearing up to make a robust return over the remaining six rounds of the season, according to team principal Christian Horner. This optimistic outlook comes despite facing challenges in the back-to-back street races in Azerbaijan and Singapore, where driver Max Verstappen performed better than anticipated.

Triple world champion Max Verstappen saw his lead over McLaren's Lando Norris shrink from 62 to 52 points between the Italian Grand Prix at Monza (Sept. 1) and the Singapore event. Despite the reduced gap, Horner remains optimistic about the team's developments.

"I think we've got a vein of development and I think we've understood some of the issues with the car. I think we're starting to address them," Horner remarked after Verstappen secured a distant second place to Norris in Singapore. "We were better in Baku, we were better here."

Verstappen's fifth-place finish in Baku, following a sixth-place result at Monza (his joint worst of the season alongside Monaco in May), showcases the team's recent struggles. However, Horner believes Red Bull is on the right trajectory, even with McLaren holding a 41-point advantage in the constructors' standings.

Horner highlighted the team's progress: "I think the encouraging thing was the car reacted as we hoped it would and what our tools were telling us," he said in reference to the performance in Singapore. "I think the team are starting to get a direction and an understanding of where some of the limitations are and some of the causes of the limitations. That opens up development paths and veins that hopefully will be productive."

Reflecting on Monza's disappointing performance, Horner stated, "I think what Monza really exposed was perhaps some of the root cause, or helped to identify the root cause of the issue. So I'm taking Monza as the low point, and we're starting to build out of that."

Drivers' championship dynamics

While McLaren remains optimistic about their chances in the drivers' championship, the reality is that Norris faces an uphill battle. One retirement could dramatically alter the championship landscape, but Norris must consistently improve his scoring pace to truly challenge Verstappen.

With three sprint races remaining, a maximum of 180 points is still up for grabs. Although Azerbaijan and Singapore were projected as strong circuits for McLaren and potential threats from Ferrari, Verstappen only lost 10 points to Norris over these two races.

Despite not winning since June and enduring an eight-race losing streak, Verstappen's lead remains formidable. "Pretty pleased, but still a lot of work to do," he acknowledged after Sunday's race. "We know that. Hopefully, now we can really kick-start things."

As Red Bull aims for a strong finish, the upcoming rounds will be critical in determining whether they can compensate for their earlier challenges and solidify their position as dominant forces in the sport.

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