Max Verstappen assesses F1 title chances after stunning McLaren upset

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull "still has a lot of work to do" to be in F1 championship contention despite his stunning upset win at Imola.

McLaren was expected to dominate the Emilia Romagna GP, with Oscar Piastri on pole, but Verstappen's stunning first lap overtake was a key step on his way to winning his second race of the season, following Japan. 

Red Bull upgraded the RB21 at Imola, with the car favouring high-speed tracks, with Verstappen cautioning against a full-out title bid, especially with Monaco coming up, a track he felt brought out the worst of the Red Bull in 2024. 

Analysing the situation, Verstappen felt more evidence was needed before he could say whether he could launch a title bid. 

"I think it is very track-specific, and I mean every time that we have been really competitive, it has been at high-speed tracks, high-speed corners," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365. 

"We still have work to do, but I do think it was a positive weekend for us. We bought upgrades, and I think they worked.

"Friday was very difficult, but we found a better set-up for Saturday, and I hope we can use that more often. 

"But that was here. Monaco is not the strongest track with our car, but we will see what we can do. 

"And then we go to Barcelona, normally a lot of high-speed corners, which is great and a lot of tyre deg, which will be crucial to master. 

"I don't know how that is going to work for us at the moment, but for now, I'm just happy [with Imola]."