Max Verstappen has already confirmed one Red Bull ‘theory’ about why they struggled in 2025

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Max Verstappen has finished each of his last four Formula 1 races in the top two for the first time since the start of the 2024 season.

That’s approximately 40 races without any domination of such, and shows how long the road to recovery has been for Red Bull. During the summer break, their hopes of winning the drivers’ championship looked over, but they’ve made a little resurgence out of nowhere.

There are multiple reasons for their improved performance, and Verstappen will be one of them. It’s hard to assess whether he can truly claw back the massive gap to McLaren in the title hunt, but he would rather have a chance of doing so than not.

Red Bull weren’t aggressive enough with Verstappen in Singapore, with one chief believing that they had the opportunity to at least put George Russell under more pressure. Verstappen reminds Martin Brundle of Ayrton Senna with his approach to racing, and it should be a handy trait over the last six races of 2025.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen now agrees with Helmut Marko about what Laurent Mekies is saying at Red Bull

Max Verstappen confirms Red Bull extraction ‘theory’ about 2025 struggles

Verstappen will love what McLaren admitted about expecting to go faster in Singapore. It means that they’re struggling to find an answer to their woes. It’s important for any sense of vulnerability between now and the end of the campaign to be capitalised on.

Red Bull’s recent rise through the ranks has had some questioning whether their car was so bad in the first place. Lando Norris is annoyed by claims that Verstappen is overachieving and thinks that he is simply putting his car where it needs to be.

But that doesn’t account for their poor performance in the middle of the season, which included a run of four races without a podium at one point. Either he was underperforming, or the team was failing to produce the right setups for their car.

According to the Spanish edition of Motorsport.com, Verstappen has confirmed a ‘theory’ which suggests his team were unable to ‘unleash’ the true performance of their car.

A new approach to work on Friday afternoons has helped them find a better baseline to work with, and is a philosophy they’ll look to carry for the rest of 2025, as they pursue a fifth consecutive drivers’ title.

READ MORE: Max Verstappen makes ‘difficult’ Singapore Grand Prix admission after intense Lando Norris battle

Why Max Verstappen faces a tougher task at upcoming F1 races

Even though McLaren have struggled recently, they did so at street circuits, with tight radius corners and not a lot of high-speed challenges.

The MCL39 hasn’t been able to flex its main strength, which has prevented them from challenging for victories.

As Formula 1 arrives in Texas for the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen faces a sterner challenge. Not only must he beat his rivals, but he must also prove that Red Bull’s progress is still real.

Failing just once more in 2025 will be the end of his title pursuit. If full focus hasn’t turned to the 2026 F1 regulations already, it should do if he fails to reach the podium again.