With two victories in the last three Grands Prix and a deficit of just 0.196 seconds in Baku, Verstappen and Red Bull are firmly back at the front in Formula 1. The resurgence has understandably come too late to play a meaningful role in the title fight, although Verstappen now has a top-three finish in the drivers' championship in his sights.
Verstappen trails Lewis Hamilton by just eight points after the Singapore race weekend, while Russell is only 17 points ahead of the Dutchman. In other words, finishing runner-up in the championship is a realistic prospect.
When Motorsport.com asked whether Verstappen is already starting to worry about 12 December – when the annual FIA gala takes place in Shanghai – a smile appeared on his face.
"Is that the prize-giving ceremony? Well, I was really ill last year! But we'll see what happens."
A second- or third-place finish in the final standings would not mean anything to Verstappen, however, as he told the Dutch media in the Singapore paddock. After the extremely difficult start to 2026 and the turnaround that followed, such an outcome might carry more significance than usual, but Verstappen does not see it that way.
"No, because ultimately you're not winning. You're not becoming world champion, and that's the only thing that matters to me."
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
The aspect of 2026 that gives Verstappen the most confidence
While the title is out of reach this season, Red Bull's resurgence does provide confidence for next year.
"The most important thing is to look at where we were at the beginning of the season and where we are now", Verstappen said, referring to the fact that Red Bull was still fighting Haas and Alpine in China and Japan.
"All the upgrades that have been introduced on the car since then, and also the problems we had with certain parts of our car, we've managed to solve all of that. That's very important heading into next year.
"When you see that some teams still have doubts about certain aspects of their new upgrades, everything is working for us, and that's a real positive."
Verstappen has previously explained that certain limitations of the 2026 car can no longer be eliminated, meaning more fundamental changes will still be needed for next season's car.
Asked by Motorsport.com whether the development direction is already 100% clear in that respect as well, and whether it gives Verstappen confidence, he replied:
"You never know fully. It's always very difficult to say that with things you're developing now that have never actually existed in real life, only on drawings.
“But everything we've introduced on the car this year has worked. That's very positive, and hopefully we can use that for next year."
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Anni Graf - Formula 1 via Getty Images
What's the latest on Red Bull's long-awaited new wind tunnel?
Verstappen also brought up another, more hidden factor that could help Red Bull as 2027 progresses:
"Of course, we'll also have a new wind tunnel at our disposal next year. That's a separate matter, but naturally we hope it will work properly and help us as well."
The wind tunnel Red Bull currently uses is the oldest on the F1 grid. During his time as team principal, Christian Horner repeatedly described the wind tunnel as “a Cold War relic” and said working with the 70-year-old facility near Bedford was like looking at “two different watches”, highlighting how the correlation between the wind tunnel and on-track performance had failed more than once.
The fact that correlation has proved accurate in 2026 is therefore not something to be taken for granted, although Verstappen added that the new regulations and the dimensions of the cars may be helping as well.
"Those earlier problems might also have been partly down to the width and length of the car [and what you can replicate with the model]. Of course, we have different cars now, but the most important thing is that we'll be able to use the new wind tunnel next year."
Verstappen acknowledged that the new wind tunnel cannot yet be used for the initial development of the RB23 – after all, that development process is already underway – but it can be used for further development of the car throughout the season. That will still be crucial, as the second year under these regulations is also set to feature an intense development battle.
Pierre Waché previously told Motorsport.com that the wind tunnel should be operational in early 2027, possibly in February, as Red Bull indicated in Singapore. However, the exact timing during the first quarter of 2027 will still depend on factors such as calibration, ensuring that Red Bull can have complete confidence in its new facility.
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