Red Bull's technical chief stresses that team must continue 'working hard' despite Imola victory

Max Verstappen’s win at Imola was a vital one. It cut his points deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri down to 22. Lando Norris sits in second place in the title race, and the four-time world champion is now just nine points behind the Brit after his victory in Imola. Red Bull signalled that this latest upgrade package was their last major opportunity to stay in the title fight.

"Today the conditions were a bit different from Friday," Formule1.nl reported that Waché said after the race concluded. "The asphalt was warmer, and that affected the performance. The new upgrades give us the chance to improve for the race and qualifying. The update worked well."

Verstappen’s second win of the season is a positive sign for Red Bull, but Technical Director Pierre Waché remains cautious. He’s not getting carried away in the tight title race against McLaren and is taking a careful approach heading into the upcoming races with the still-unpredictable RB21.

"The operating window is still very narrow. We won in Japan, but were completely crushed in Bahrain and Miami. It's clearly no sure thing in this sport. McLaren still has a good car, so we must continue to work hard," Waché said.

Team Principal Christian Horner shared his thoughts after the race, praising Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team. He also expressed surprise at McLaren’s underwhelming performance in Imola during a conversation that included GPblog.