McLaren face nervy run-in as Red Bull threat suddenly intensifies

Red Bull have surged into contention for third in the constructors' championship, closing to within seven points of McLaren with six rounds remaining.

Back-to-back victories for Max Verstappen in Malaysia and Singapore have transformed Red Bull's season, with the team now sitting on 332 points to McLaren's 339. 

The turnaround followed a significant upgrade introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which reworked the RB22's sidepods, floor and cooling layout and appears to have cured the drivability problems that had plagued Verstappen earlier in the campaign.

McLaren, by contrast, have stalled. Since their Hungary floor upgrade, the MCL40 has lacked raw pace at a run of flyaway events, with corner-entry handling cited as a persistent weakness.

Matters were not helped by scrappy weekends for Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, including a double non-points finish in Azerbaijan that handed Red Bull a significant points swing. 

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella has confirmed a phased upgrade package will arrive across the final rounds in an effort to halt the slide.

Ferrari set for comfortable second-place finish

Ferrari, meanwhile, look increasingly like spectators in this particular fight. Sitting on 444 points, over 100 clear of both McLaren and Red Bull, the Scuderia appear too far ahead to be caught for second place in the remaining rounds. 

Ferrari are not resting, however, with a final major aerodynamic update featuring a redesigned floor and revised bodywork set to land on the SF-26 in Austin.

That leaves third place as the genuine battleground, with McLaren's upgrade timeline against Red Bull's current momentum shaping up as the deciding factor over the final six races.

Who do you think will finish third? Have your say by voting in the poll below!