Red Bull’s late surge changes 2027 picture
"He hired those people and put it all together"
Red Bull’s late-season resurgence may owe more to making the RB22 predictable than simply adding more downforce.
Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt believes the team’s technical direction has changed significantly.
"They’ve finally moved away from constantly trying to generate more downforce," he said. "The Red Bull is now better balanced."
"It has become predictable, which wasn’t the case before. And the performance range is greater."
Schmidt said that has transformed race weekends because Max Verstappen is no longer starting Fridays with a fundamentally difficult car.
He also praised Red Bull Powertrains, which developed its first full F1 power unit largely in-house.
"That’s Christian Horner’s doing," said the German. "Absolutely."
"He hired those people and put it all together."
Former Red Bull driver Christian Klien, speaking on Servus TV, said the turnaround has been striking.
"This was not to be expected a few weeks ago and shows that the Red Bull works on different tracks," said the Austrian.
"Since the upgrade in Baku, where Max would have had the pace to win, things have really been progressing."
Dr Helmut Marko, meanwhile, told RTL that Red Bull’s own engine project has exceeded expectations.
"I still believe that the Mercedes engine is slightly better overall," he said. "Nevertheless, I’m convinced that the engine will be capable of winning."
"But the chassis is also crucial. The main problem this year was that the chassis only became a winning chassis again towards the end of the season."
"Typical Red Bull! Red Bull can go from the fourth-fastest car to the winning car within a single season."
Russian commentator Alexey Popov, meanwhile, argued that Verstappen’s recent form and his willingness to race GT3 machinery in his spare time underline how motivated he remains.
"At this stage of his career, Max, I believe, is truly on a completely different level compared to everyone else," Popov said during his Gasnut Ogni stream.
"I believe Hamilton has never shown anything like this anywhere. I wouldn’t compare them," he added.