Red Bull’s breakthrough in Imola revives Verstappen’s title hopes, ending McLaren’s momentum with critical upgrades that reshaped the championship fight.
A “breakthrough” at Red Bull could not have come at a better time to keep Max Verstappen’s pursuit of a fifth consecutive world title alive.
The Dutchman and his team arrived in Imola determined to end McLaren’s “depressing” dominance in Miami. Team advisor Dr. Helmut Marko and Verstappen’s father, Jos, both acknowledged that the upgrades introduced at Imola likely represented the last chance to revive the season.
And according to Marko, it was a success.
“We brought several new parts here,” said a delighted Marko following Verstappen’s victory from pole position on Sunday, which cut his championship deficit to just 22 points.
“I think we were even better than McLaren. We were simply faster.”
“This is the first time in a year that the upgrades have had a positive effect on the car. I’m happy, and we’re heading to Monaco next week with great confidence.”
While Imola suits the characteristics of the RB21 well—unlike Monaco—Red Bull also appears to have narrowed McLaren’s significant advantage in tyre degradation.
“We were at least as good as them in terms of tyre wear. It’s the first time in a long while that the car’s balance was good enough to allow Max to do what he wanted. Thank God we were able to achieve such a result.”
Earlier, team officials had lamented an obvious correlation issue between the wind tunnel and on-track performance.
“We are starting to understand that better now,” said Team Principal Christian Horner.
“We brought so many new parts to this race, and that turned out to be a decisive factor.”
Technical Director Pierre Waché, who has faced criticism since Adrian Newey’s departure, gave a rare interview after Sunday’s chequered flag.
Notably, he admitted that Imola marked a genuine “breakthrough” for Red Bull at its 400th Grand Prix.
“I think that’s the right word,” said the Frenchman. “The upgrades clearly benefited us, especially in tyre management. We made the first step in Miami, and now we’re making the second.”
“We’ve significantly improved our setup, and the new package also gives us more potential to progress.”
Most top teams introduced major updates at Imola, but McLaren Team Principal Andrea Stella said the Woking-based squad now needs to step up its efforts to reclaim its place as the fastest and most competitive car in 2025.
“With Red Bull’s upgrades, we need to stay alert. They brought new components to this race and will apply them even better in the next one, so we cannot wait. But it will still take a few more races before we can bring significant updates ourselves.”
Waché agreed. “McLaren still has a very good car, which they continue to develop. We have to keep working hard.”
As for Verstappen, who had not ruled out leaving Red Bull by 2026, he said he was “relieved and happy” with the car for the first time in a while.
However, before leaving the paddock, he issued a word of caution: “I think it’s important to stay calm for now and not shout too loudly just yet.”
His main concern, though, remained McLaren’s still slightly superior tyre management.
“My tyres kept degrading a bit more, but it was slightly better than most other races.”
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