Verstappen on the way to the world title: Best car or best driver?

Is it the RB21, or is it Max Verstappen making the difference for Red Bull Racing? Opinions in the paddock were divided after the Grand Prix in Austin.

Red Bull and Verstappen have reignited the title fight. Earlier this year, Verstappen was more than 100 points behind Oscar Piastri in the championship, but in a few months, the gap has shrunk to only 40. This has brought back the belief in a title for Verstappen at Red Bull Racing.

The four-time world champion is also surprised by Red Bull's turnaround. At the press conference after the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Verstappen claimed that if someone had suggested this scenario to him in Zandvoort, he would have called them ‘crazy’.

Indeed, Verstappen was consistently downplaying his chances for months. According to him, there was no title fight at all, as the McLarens were too fast to play a serious role in the championship. With just five race weekends to go, Verstappen is already being pushed forward by many as the 2025 world champion.

Does Verstappen make the difference at Red Bull?

The paddock in Austin was still divided on the most crucial factor in Red Bull's success. After qualifying, Andrea Stella, McLaren's team boss, stated that the combination of Verstappen and the Red Bull car is the fastest, and will probably remain the fastest in the upcoming races.

When GPblog asked Helmut Marko about these words, he argued that at Red Bull it really was more about the driver and the car wasn't necessarily better than McLaren's. However, the Woking-based team does not have a driver of Verstappen's caliber.

Jonathan Wheatley was on the same page as these comments. Sauber's team boss, who worked with the driver for many years as Red Bull's sporting director, explained that Verstappen can never be counted out and that Red Bull had also done outstanding work in rejoining the title fight.

Max Verstappen after his victory in Austin - Photo: RacePictures

Yet, Laurent Mekies refrains from a comparison. As a former engineer, he, just like his colleague from McLaren, looks at the whole picture. It is about the combination of the car and the driver. Still, Mekies couldn't ignore Verstappen's qualities. The Frenchman referred to watching Verstappen race as ‘history in the making’.

However, there can be no doubt that Verstappen makes the difference for Red Bull Racing, as shown by Yuki Tsunoda’s performances. This confirms what many people have suspected for a long time: give Verstappen a car that can win, and he will always get everything out of it. And that is what can make the difference in this title fight.  

Read also

Norris jokes with Verstappen and Leclerc: 'If your mum had balls…'

Red Bull Racing is found guilty by U.S GP Stewards

Sainz learns fate from stewards after crash with Antonelli in US GP

GPblog's F1 Paddock Update

Want to stay up-to-date with what happens in the F1 paddock? Then GPblog's F1 Paddock Update video is the perfect way to do it. Subscribe to GPblog's YouTube channel and turn on notifications to never miss the latest episodes.