Red Bull Could Overtake McLaren in Austin, but Stella Stays Calm
Baca dalam 60 detik
- Red Bull hanya butuh selisih delapan poin dari McLaren di GP Amerika Serikat untuk merebut posisi ketiga klasemen konstruktor.
- Kemenangan beruntun Verstappen di Malaysia dan Singapura memangkas jarak dari 17 menjadi tujuh poin.
- McLaren mengakui mobil MCL40 sulit dikendarai, tetapi perbaikan menyeluruh baru akan terasa pada 2027.
Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar bring a big mission to Austin this weekend: overtaking McLaren in the Formula 1 constructors' standings. After 17 races, McLaren still leads with 339 points, just seven ahead of Red Bull on 332. The gap has shrunk dramatically thanks to Verstappen's two straight wins in Sepang and Singapore, which were also Red Bull's first victories with its own power unit built in partnership with Ford.
In the last two rounds, Red Bull dominated the points haul. In Malaysia, they collected 35 points to McLaren's 10; in Singapore, the Milton Keynes-based team added 34 points while McLaren scored only 23. The trend has reopened the fight at the top, though McLaren still holds the advantage.
The United States GP at Circuit of the Americas has no sprint, so a maximum of 43 points is available to each team. Red Bull must score at least eight points more than McLaren to pass its rival. If the gap is only seven points, the two teams will be level and the position will be decided by best-result countback. Both have won two grands prix this season.
Several concrete scenarios can be calculated. If Verstappen wins and Hadjar fails to finish in the points, McLaren must not score more than 17 points. Third place for Lando Norris and ninth for Oscar Piastri (17 points total) would leave Red Bull one point ahead. However, if one McLaren finishes second and the other outside the points, the two teams will be level again. If Verstappen finishes second with no points from Hadjar, McLaren's limit drops to 10 points—a fifth place and one car outside the top 10 would be enough. If Verstappen is third, McLaren may score only seven points, for example seventh and tenth. If both McLarens fail to score, Red Bull needs only eight points, so a sixth place from either driver would be enough to change the standings. Every additional point from Hadjar raises McLaren's limit proportionally. For example, a Verstappen win plus a fifth place from Hadjar yields 35 points, so Norris second and Piastri sixth (26 points) would still leave Red Bull ahead.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella responded to the pressure calmly. He called this season's fight "ping-pong" and said Verstappen is benefiting from Red Bull's upgrade package. "Three tenths is the kind of range you can add through upgrades," he said, as quoted by Motorsport.com. Yet statements from within McLaren itself could worry fans. Norris called the MCL40 "mentally draining" to drive, and Stella admitted the car's fundamental problems will only be fully resolved on the 2027 car. "I don't want to promise we'll fight in Austin, but the last few weekends have been incredible. I take it race by race," Stella said.
For Red Bull, Austin is a test of whether this surge in performance is sustainable or merely the effect of certain circuits. The wins in Sepang and Singapore were impressive, but Circuit of the Americas has different corner characteristics and asphalt. If Verstappen is dominant again, the pressure on McLaren will grow ahead of the final rounds. Conversely, if McLaren can maximize its upgrade package, third place could be safe again. The question is whether Red Bull will truly overtake in Austin, or whether McLaren will prove they are still too strong to be moved.
