Verstappen admits ‘a lot needs to happen’ to catch McLaren

Max Verstappen has issued a clear warning to his Red Bull team: if they want to keep their championship hopes alive this season, they need to make the car faster – fast.

With the championship battle heating up, Verstappen, who now trails leader Oscar Piastri by 43 points, emphasized the urgent need for improvements to mount a serious challenge for a historic fifth consecutive title, a feat only achieved by Michael Schumacher from 2000 to 2004.

The Canadian Grand Prix marked the first time this season that neither McLaren driver finished on the podium – an unusual dip in what has otherwise been a dominant campaign for the Woking-based team.

Piastri finished fourth after losing ground early, while teammate Lando Norris retired following a late-race clash with Piastri.

Nevertheless, speaking after last weekend’s race in Montreal, Verstappen was realistic about Red Bull’s current position and what needs to change.

Verstappen Calls for Urgent Car Improvements

“A lot needs to happen for that, to be honest,” he said about his chances of mounting a serious title push. “We need to start winning races more often. And how do we do that? By being more competitive.”

Although Red Bull’s performance in Montreal was promising, Verstappen emphasized it still fell short of what’s needed to truly contend for this year’s world title.

“Now, this was a good weekend, but again, not competitive enough. Like I said before, we have our moments where maybe we can win here or there.

“But we just need to make the car faster. Then we make it a lot easier for ourselves. We’re working hard on it with the team.”

The 27-year-old acknowledged that upgrades are on the way, but he remains cautious about whether they’ll be enough to match McLaren's formidable pace this season.

“Of course, bits are coming, but is it going to be enough? I don’t know. It’s small margins in this world that can give you better results every single weekend,” he said.

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He also praised McLaren’s consistency so far, calling their performance “extraordinary.”

“But what I think so far, what McLaren has shown this whole season is quite extraordinary and difficult to beat,” he added.

“So now, okay, one weekend is not as good, but they are still by far the favourites. And that’s not going to be something that is easily beaten. But the coming races, we really want to try and improve our car.”

As Red Bull works to close the gap, Verstappen’s focus is clear: faster cars are essential to turn occasional victories into a sustained title challenge.

With the season progressing, all eyes will be on Red Bull’s upgrades in the upcoming races.

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