Max Verstappen may never have been an F1 title contender if Christian Horner plan had been approved

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Red Bull have transformed back into title contenders since the arrival of Laurent Mekies as team boss this summer.

Max Verstappen has a chance of claiming a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship, following some hard work by his team to bring upgrades to his car. McLaren have already turned their full focus to the 2026 F1 regulations, meaning they’re slightly vulnerable for the rest of the year.

Red Bull also have a chance of finishing second in the constructors’ battle, but it won’t mean much for them. They exist to compete in Formula 1, and the team appears revitalised under new leadership, since Christian Horner left in July.

Horner’s loyalists are happy with Mekies at Red Bull, and although they might have been pessimistic when he was chosen as his successor, the results on track cannot be disputed. Red Bull have copied Ferrari and their approach to race weekends. More simulator work has helped them extract more pace from their car.

READ MORE: Annoyed David Croft tells Red Bull F1 staff to ‘grow up’ after what he saw them doing in Austin

Christian Horner’s plan to end Red Bull’s development would’ve stopped Max Verstappen’s title challenge

Red Bull and Verstappen’s sudden progress is down to a variety of reasons, including being able to take advantage of a loophole that McLaren were the first to find earlier in the year. They have been able to run a lower ride height than anyone this year, without falling foul of the skid block rules.

Since winning again, Red Bull have their swagger back, and when they have confidence, they can be quite the formidable opponents. Just ask Mercedes. A gap of 40 points in five races is easily overturnable when realising that Verstappen has already clawed back 64 points since the summer break.

The team are set to bring further upgrades to the RB21 before the end of the campaign, which could even offer them a little bit of a buffer to McLaren. Some tracks are going to suit them more than others, but it’ll be important to take advantage of their rivals’ weaknesses to come out on top.

According to Analisi Tecnica F1, ex-boss Horner was ready to pull the plug on the development of their current car this summer, and focus fully on 2026.

If that had happened, Verstappen wouldn’t have stood a chance of winning this year, and there’s always the risk that they wouldn’t have gained much doing that anyway. McLaren would have had an easy run to both titles. It wouldn’t have pleased those at the factory in Milton Keynes.

READ MORE: Helmut Marko took a ‘mischievous’ shot at Christian Horner straight after Max Verstappen won US GP

What can McLaren do to stop Max Verstappen from winning the 2025 F1 title?

Over the last few weekends, McLaren haven’t been able to optimise their car for a variety of reasons. At the last race, it was due to a collision in the sprint race.

Should they avoid a similar fate in Mexico, they should be able to take the fight to Verstappen and Red Bull during Sunday’s race better than they have done over the last few rounds.

Team boss Andrea Stella has even admitted that they didn’t optimise their package, and that a win for Lando Norris could have been possible in Austin.

Being held up by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc didn’t help his cause, but there is still reason for optimism for McLaren fans. Both Norris and Oscar Piastri still have the best car on the right day.