Verstappen believes that a fifth title is still unlikely.
"We should have secured the win for that."
Max Verstappen's second-place finish in Singapore kept his slim title dreams alive and proved that Red Bull's resurgence after Christian Horner still extends to circuits that aren't focused on low downforce. While the Dutch driver’s streak of pole positions and victories at Baku and Monza ended, finishing ahead of both McLaren drivers was viewed as another positive development. "We may not have won the race, but finishing ahead of both McLarens is a significant achievement for us," stated Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko. Historically, Singapore has been one of Red Bull's most challenging tracks, yet Verstappen consistently outpaced Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. "We’re quick on every circuit now," Marko commented. "We’re back at the forefront of the competition. Oscar Piastri’s lead is substantial, but we’ll continue to fight."
Piastri leads the championship with 336 points, followed by Norris with 314 and Verstappen with 273, with six races left in the season. McLaren anticipates a comeback at upcoming venues that are more favorable for their car. Team principal Andrea Stella noted that while Austin might present challenges, he believes better results will follow. "I expect that Austin will still pose some difficulties for us due to the tight corners and braking zones," he remarked. "Our stronger tracks include Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi. Earlier in the season, when we had a slight advantage, we managed better on various circuits, but the competition has intensified. Red Bull appears to have addressed both its high-drag issues and the challenges presented by Singapore, which is no surprise given their capabilities."
Verstappen acknowledged that, despite again finishing ahead of both McLarens for the third consecutive race, the title still seems distant. "We should have won for that," he expressed. "You need to dominate, and we aren't achieving that—at least not this weekend. We're not bridging the gap adequately. We truly should have won today, but we didn't. That's just how it goes. We missed out on too many points at the beginning of the season."
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