Photo: Race Pictures

F1 insider unpacks Red Bull's true view of Verstappen's title charge

20:30, 24 Sep

Updated: 00:17, 25 Sep

byNorberto Mujica

Sky Sports the F1 Show podcast host Simon Lazenby has disclosed details of a conversation he claims to have had with Red Bull Racing's team principal Laurent Mekies regarding the Austrian team's resurgence.

Red Bull celebrates Baku win. Photo: RacePictures.

That floor upgrade in Monza was something that they genuinely thought have brought them back into it.

- Simon Lazenby

Speaking about Verstappen's potential title charge, Lazenby revealed the details of a conversation he held with Red Bull's Team Principal Mekies in Baku.

"I talked to Laurent Mekies on the way, actually, to talk to him on air," Lazenby said.

"We were just talking off air on the way up [and] he said it's a lot of little things that have made the car better."

However, as McLaren's Team Principal and driver Lando Norris both stated, the key to Red Bull's recent rise lies in the Austrian racing stable's Monza floor upgrade, and Lazenby claims Mekies believes it's brought them back into play.

"But that floor upgrade in Monza was something that they genuinely thought have brought them back into it."

Nevertheless, there's one last hurdle to clear for Verstappen and Red Bull before they can truly call themselves championship contenders, the British journalist believes.

"If we get to Singapore, which has been Max's bogey track, and he comes out with another victory there, or at least the car looks very, very quick, [that will tell] whether [or not] he's fully back in the game."

Fellow Sky Sports colleague Ted Kravitz agreed. "That's kind of the big test, I think. And if they're strong there, you then look at the rest of the year at tracks that they've been strong at Brazil, even Austin.

"There's a lot of tracks that I think are more traditionally suited to their car that I think they're going to be a serious threat," Kravitz warned.

A vocal McLaren meets a silent Red Bull

The message from McLaren seems to be clear: Max Verstappen is in contention for the World Championship. Oscar Piastri, the leader in the Drivers' Standings holds a 69-points lead over the Dutchman. Norris can only boast a 44 points-gap to Verstappen after 17 Grands Prix.

McLaren boss Stella, following his team's woeful Azerbaijan Grand Prix, then hoped McLaren could keep its future race weekends trouble-free as Verstappen's presence removed any sort of margin for error they might've had-.

However, on Red Bull's side, Mekies claimed that the Austrian outfit was not looking at the positions in the Standings at all, but rather at how they can extract more lap time from the revived RB21.

On Verstappen's side, while he did not support any theories surrounding his potential late title charge, he didn't make any effort to deny them either.

Red Bull's Chief Advisor Helmut Marko instead chose temporary silence. The deadline for the self-imposed gag? After the flag drops at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in less than two weeks time.

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