Toto Wolff issues 'full-on' Red Bull prediction as major question looms

Toto Wolff has praised Red Bull's turnaround this season after Max Verstappen won back-to-back grands prix in Sepang and Singapore, with the Mercedes team principal predicting a "full-on" fight between the leading teams, including the Milton Keynes-based squad, next year.

Verstappen's consecutive victories hauled Red Bull out of what had been shaping up as its first winless campaign since 2015, with the RB22 and its Ford-developed power unit struggling to find their window for much of the opening 14 rounds.

That changed with a major aerodynamic upgrade introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which transformed the car's operating range and set up the double win that followed.

It marks a significant achievement in Red Bull's first season as a power unit manufacturer, a venture team principal Laurent Mekies previously likened to climbing an "Everest" given the scale of catching established manufacturers Ferrari and Mercedes.

Wolff, speaking to media including RacingNews365, was generous in his assessment of the Milton Keynes-based squad's progress.

"Really, you need to take your hat off to what Red Bull has done this season, how they have developed the car and how it's all come together as a package," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365.

"And then you put Max Verstappen in the car, and when he feels that this thing is driving like he wants it to drive, then you know these are the results.

"He's been by far the quickest guy [in Singapore]. He's been the quickest guy in Kuala Lumpur."

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Mercedes response awaited

George Russell went further, declaring Red Bull "the team to beat" after Verstappen's pace across three contrasting circuits.

Mekies welcomed the assessment, pointing out the pace had shown up on "different track types" and should translate elsewhere on the calendar.

Kimi Antonelli, Russell's team-mate and the drivers' championship leader, was more guarded, suggesting Mercedes simply has not extracted the maximum from its own new package rather than conceding Red Bull has leapt ahead.

Wolff made clear the response from Brackley will hinge on the recent upgrade, which Mercedes struggled to extract the most out of as Verstappen roared to victory in Malaysia and Singapore.

The Austrian was adamant, however, that Red Bull will be in the battle for supremacy next year, alongside his team, Ferrari and McLaren.

"Let's see when our upgrade hopefully starts to work, and lands in a place where we think it should be, whether we can be competitive against him," Wolff added.

"But one thing is for sure: next year it's a full-on fight between the teams, and Red Bull is part of that."

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