“Sometimes you just want to make some noise”

Superiority Max Verstappen in Shanghai was not only reflected in 13 seconds yesterday Lando Norris at the finish, as was its race pace: 77 hundredths per lap faster than the McLaren and 1.27 seconds better than the Ferrari. Red Bull’s dominance was even more evident in boxeswith a deuce stop almost simultaneously for two riders on lap 10, decided in just 2.1 and 2.0 seconds. In fact, the only concern Crazy Max In the final stint it was all about avoiding the Sauber parts. Guanyu Zhou scattered on the asphalt: “I was driving around the area at 300 km/h and just wanted to check if everything was okay, because tires get punctured easily when they get cold and get old.” With no one to bother him, the World Cup leader gave another master class in China yesterday.

In fact, returning to the Shanghai International Circuit after four years away from the calendar was almost perfect for Verstappen, as he also knew how to come back from fourth place to win the sprint race on Saturday. Even when he encounters obstacles along the way, the three-time world champion wins with extraordinary adequacy. Bye Sergio Perez He failed to catch up with Norris; the Dutchman again beat his teammate with a score of 69 hundredths per lap. With this fourth win of the year, Red Bull now has 117 wins in its history, surpassing Mercedes’ record in the modern era (116 if you don’t take into account the nine wins in 1950).

With McLaren and Ferrari starved of resources in the face of the RB-20’s terrifying speed, attempts to destabilize Red Bull are being translated off-track, where Toto Wolf, the Mercedes boss, continues to court Verstappen. As in Jeddah and Melbourne, where he admitted he “would love” to have the Dutchman in his garage, the Austrian yesterday repeated his messages to Max in a more subtle manner. That is, pointing to 2026, when the new rules will come into force. “We are in a very good position for 2026. We’re ambitious with the goals we’ve set for the powertrain, battery and fuel, and if we can produce a decent chassis, we’ll be a valuable alternative,” he said. The main team of the Silver Arrows.

Horner’s irony

It is logical that this veiled message failed very badly yesterday at Red Bull and Christian Horner The answer would not be long in coming. “I don’t think Toto’s problems are his drivers. “He probably has other elements he needs to focus on instead of looking for pilots who are not available,” the Briton said. For those not in the know, Horner said Mercedes currently has fewer options than McLaren and Aston Martin, two customer teams.

“Did you hear it George Russell does the contract end at the end of 2025? Maybe in 2026 I won’t be so interested. The market is moving,” he said ironically. When asked whether Verstappen’s position was calculatedly confusing, Horner cleared up the clouds on the horizon. “I can assure you that there is no ambiguity about where Verstappen will be next year,” he concluded.

Likewise, after being asked whether Max should put an end to the rumors, Horner was confident: “I don’t know how many times he’ll have to say that. He repeated this many times. “I won’t go into detail because I think sometimes you just want to make noise.” As for the main character himself, who signed a multi-year contract at the end of 2021, everything seems clear here too. “The only thing I said from the beginning is that we want to have a calm environment. As long as I am happy with the team, I will have no reason to leave,” admitted Verstappen. His father’s opinion will also influence his final decision. Joseph And Raymond Vermeulen, his agent. While awaiting a decision, he will continue to destroy everyone who stands in his way these days.