Red Bull issue 'in the fight' declaration as daunting McLaren prospect beckons

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies insists the RB21 is now strong enough to be "in the fight" at each of the remaining rounds this season.

Max Verstappen is in pursuit of an improbable fifth-consecutive F1 drivers' championship with five grands prix — and two sprints — to go, having looked almost completely out of contention before the summer break.

But over the course of the past four events, the Dutchman has cut Oscar Piastri's advantage in the points standings from 104 to just 40.

The catalyst for this unexpected reversal in fortunes was, in part, Red Bull revising how it approaches grand prix weekends, but predominantly a floor update introduced at the Italian Grand Prix.

The upgrade exceeded all expectations internally in Milton Keynes and has transformed the RB21 into a package that suits a range of circuit types, which Verstappen has utilised to the fullest extent.

And with further developments, albeit minor, to come, the team is well poised for the run-in.

When Mekies was asked by media, including RacingNews365, whether he feels Red Bull now has a car capable of being competitive across the remaining handful of rounds, he agreed, replying: "I think that’s fair to say.

"We think we have enough potential in the car now to be in the fight on most tracks going forward."

That view is in tandem with his opposite number at McLaren, Andrea Stella, who over the United States Grand Prix weekend warned that the constructors' champions — and Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris — must be ready for Red Bull and Verstappen to be the strongest combination at each of the final five rounds, having previously circled Brazil, Qatar, and Abu Dhabi as places McLaren should enjoy the upper hand.

Mekies, however, was quick to caution that it does not mean his team will be "able to win" consistently for the rest of the year, merely that it can "fight" for victory against Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari.

"Now, it doesn't mean that we will be able to win, but it probably means that if we do nail everything, extract everything out of the car on a given track, then we think we will be able to fight for the win," the Frenchman added.

"It doesn’t mean that we are able to do that every race weekend. It doesn’t mean that we won’t get beaten by Toto [Wolff], Zak [Brown], or Fred [Vasseur] on any race weekend, but it means we should be in that group that fights for the win."