"While only 22 points separate the pair neither has now won for three races, the team's longest drought of the season. Moreover, they have been beaten on merit across a variety of tracks. At the fast, low downforce challenge of Monza and Baku, where Red Bull's Max Verstappen took the flag, and the slow, high downforce of Singapore, where Mercedes' George Russell more than had their measure."
"McLaren's total dominance has gone. They have long since ceased development of their car but Red Bull, under their new team principal, Laurent Mekies, have continued to bring in new parts in an attempt to better understand where their ride has got away from them. The intent is they will feed into next year's car but are also paying off now."
"The Red Bull is already a far better and more manageable beast than it was early in the year as Verstappen has demonstrated emphatically at the past three races. As a result the straightforward head-to-head between Norris and Piastri is no longer such a binary affair. Verstappen is still 63 points off the lead, so the title remains all but a pipe dream, but he is now very much in the mix on track."
The championship gap between McLaren's Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri stands at 22 points, but neither driver has won in three races, marking McLaren's longest dry spell. Both drivers have been outperformed across differing circuits, with Red Bull strong at Monza and Baku and Mercedes excelling in Singapore. McLaren has largely halted car development while Red Bull, led by new team principal Laurent Mekies, has continued introducing parts that are improving performance now and informing next year's car. Verstappen and Russell have become significant on-track variables, increasing collision and strategic risks for the title contenders.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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