Toto Wolff believes in-form Red Bull will be a central part of the "full-on fight" he expects at the front of the Formula 1 field into 2027. Mercedes are closing in on a world championship double heading into the closing races of this season, with Kimi Antonelli able to clinch the drivers' title as early as this weekend's United States Grand Prix if results go his way.
The strength of Mercedes' challenge was built on a flying start to the season, the first of the sport's new regulation era, with eight wins from the first 10 rounds. However, their win rate has slowed since then, with three victories in the last seven, as Ferrari, McLaren and latterly Red Bull have all shown the ability to challenge the Silver Arrows on race weekends.
Red Bull started the season lagging behind the leading pace, but Max Verstappen has now won the last two races. Wolff has been impressed by the turnaround. "I really think that you need to take your hat off to what Red Bull has done this season," he said after Verstappen's dominant victory in Singapore. "By far the quickest guy [in Singapore], the quickest guy in Kuala Lumpur. Next year, it's a full-on fight between the teams and Red Bull is part of that."
Wolff also believes Red Bull's power unit, the first in the team's history, has performed strongly. Red Bull now head to Austin's Circuit of the Americas chasing a third straight win as they continue a late-season bid to overhaul McLaren for third in the Constructors' Championship. Their RB22 car was improved by a significant aerodynamic upgrade at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, though that update was the team's final one of note this season, with development now focused on the 2027 car.
Source: Sky Sports Champions League · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing