Sports · Motorsport · 1 hr ago
Verstappen’s wins raise concern among Red Bull’s Formula 1 rivals
Max Verstappen has returned to winning form, taking the sprint race and Grand Prix in Singapore from pole position.
He also won the previous race in Malaysia and finished a close second in Baku, coming close to winning all three events.
The results have raised concern among rivals because Red Bull has been quick on three different types of track.
Mercedes driver George Russell said his team needs to improve its car and get more from its recent upgrades.
McLaren’s Lando Norris said Red Bull now seemed to be the team to beat, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc said Verstappen was simply too quick in Singapore.
Red Bull is now seven points behind McLaren in the fight for third place in the championship.
Mercedes and McLaren say they need to keep developing their cars, while Leclerc said Ferrari needs upgrades to challenge Red Bull in qualifying.
Max Verstappen’s recent wins have raised concern among Red Bull’s Formula 1 rivals.
He won the Singapore sprint race and grand prix from pole position, taking maximum points.
His performance followed a win at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, according to RaceFans.
Red Bull’s pace across different circuits has prompted rivals to focus on improving their cars.
Red Bull is now seven points behind McLaren in the fight for third place in the championship.
- Who
- Max Verstappen and Red Bull, with rival drivers George Russell, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc expressing concern.
- What
- Verstappen’s recent wins and Red Bull’s pace have alarmed rival teams.
- When
- Over the recent “triple-header” of races, as reported on October 12, 2026.
- Where
- Singapore, Malaysia and Azerbaijan.
- Why
- Red Bull has been highly competitive across different tracks, while rivals say they need to improve their cars.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
In Baku, Max was at a similar level to me. We go to Malaysia, it’s a totally different track, you go to Singapore, totally different track again, and he’s dominated the last two weekends.
So Red Bull seem like the team to beat and have clearly improved the car a lot over the last few weeks, and we’ve just slipped to the back of the top four, so we’re the fourth-fastest team.
I think Red Bull and Max were just too quick.
Verstappen started eighth and finished second to George Russell after aborting his final qualifying run because of a yellow flag.
Verstappen won the Bahrain Grand Prix, according to RaceFans.
Verstappen won the sprint race and grand prix from pole position, taking maximum points.
- Singapore
- Verstappen won the sprint race and grand prix from pole position
- Recent races
- Verstappen came close to sweeping all three
- Azerbaijan
- Verstappen rose from eighth on the grid to finish second
- Championship
- Red Bull is seven points behind McLaren in the fight for third place
- Published
- October 12, 2026, at 07:23 UTC
Sources
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