Max Verstappen warns McLaren about F1 title battle ahead of Singapore GP.

McLaren surpassed Red Bull at the top of the constructor rankings during Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but Max Verstappen and his team are ready to bounce back in Singapore.

Max Verstappen has reminded McLaren that the fight to win the constructors’ title ‘isn’t finished yet’ – and warned them of a Red Bull response in Singapore.

McLaren took top of the standings for the first time in 2024 on Sunday, when Oscar Piastri won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and team-mate Lando Norris recovered from starting 15th to finish fourth. Meanwhile, Red Bull had a nightmare and is no longer leading the constructor standings for the first time since May 2022.

Oscar Piastri won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while teammate Lando Norris improved from 15th to fourth place. Meanwhile, Red Bull had a nightmare and is no longer leading the constructor standings for the first time since May 2022.

Verstappen could only manage P5 after being overtaken by drivers’ championship rival Norris while Sergio Perez, who was gunning for his first podium finish since April, crashed out on the penultimate lap following a collision with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. That all gives McLaren a 20-point advantage going into the final seven Grands Prix and three Sprint races this season. Having dominated the first part of the campaign, Verstappen hasn’t won a single race since June and has only been on the podium once in the past five Grands Prix.

The three-time F1 world champion has increasingly complained of issues with his car but hopes that this Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix will mark the start of Red Bull’s turnaround.
It’s never nice to see [McLaren leading the standings],” Verstappen, 25, admitted after his struggles in Baku. “But the fight is not over yet. We’ll try to get that back.”

Asked what he’ll do differently on Sunday, with Singapore notably being the only Grand Prix which Red Bull failed to win in 2023, the Dutchman added: “Well, we’re trying to optimise the setup to understand what we did wrong here. I don’t think it’s going to be our best track, naturally, but we’ll see. It might surprise us.”