Red Bull onto “a high risk approach” after Max Verstappen’s second successive F1 win

Red Bull star Max Verstappen won the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Dutchman dominated the race while the McLaren drivers struggled. It was the four-time F1 champion's second consecutive win as Red Bull Boss came out and revealed the Milton Keynes-based outfit’s high-risk approach going into the final seven races of the season.

Red Bull Racing had a tumultuous start to the season, with Verstappen struggling against Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. Soon, Mercedes and Ferrari also caught up with the RB21’s performance. It seemed as if Max Verstappen's title hopes were done and dusted.

However, with Laurent Mekies taking over the control of the Red Bull ship as Christian Horner was fired, the team has seemingly rejuvenated. Since the summer break, Verstappen has finished on the podium at his home race and won the races at Monza and Baku.

F1 Grand Prix of Italy - Qualifying - Source: Getty

With the championship leader Oscar Piastri retiring at the Azerbaijan GP and Lando Norris only managing a P7, the Dutchman is now just 69 points behind the championship leader. Speaking about Red Bull taking a risky approach in the upcoming races amid Verstappen's title contention against the McLaren drivers, Laurent Mekies said,

“We'll approach each race, focusing on ourselves to understand the car better, making our contribution to it and we'll see where that takes us. And we're trying to take a high-risk approach, so we learn as much as we can at the end of the season first, and that takes precedence over discussions about the championship or anything else.”

“This approach is necessary anyway because the gap between Max and Oscar is significant. We can't count on McLaren making mistakes too often,” added Mekies.

With seven races to go, including three sprint weekends, Max Verstappen would have to, on average, beat Oscar Piastri at every race weekend to clinch the championship.

---

Andrea Stella suggests Max Verstappen is still in contention for the F1 title

After a disappointing weekend for McLaren at the Azerbaijan GP, the Papaya team boss, Andrea Stella, came out and was questioned whether Max Verstappen is back in the F1 title fight. Stella detailed the reason behind the Dutchman being a contender for the title, as he said,

“We don't have to forget that, first of all, it's Max Verstappen. World champion for the last four years, in a fast car. There are races where McLaren may not enjoy any advantage from a competitiveness point of view.” (via BBC)

“Sometimes there will be a little bit more points for Lando, a little bit more points for Oscar, so they may take some points away from each other. We are very aware of this aspect, but we let them race, because they both deserve to pursue their aspirations. Therefore, yes, Verstappen and Red Bull are in contention for the drivers' championship,” added Stella

Red Bull has historically struggled at the upcoming race venue, i.e., the Singapore GP. The RB21’s performance at the street race