Toto Wolff expects 'full-on fight' in 2027 as Verstappen and Red Bull roar back

Toto Wolff believes Red Bull will be right at the heart of a "full-on fight" at the front of Formula 1 in 2027, after Max Verstappen's back-to-back victories in Malaysia and Singapore turned the closing phase of the 2026 season on its head.

Mercedes remain on course for a world championship double in the first year of the sport's new regulations, and Kimi Antonelli could even wrap up the drivers' crown as early as this weekend's United States Grand Prix in Austin. Yet the team principal of the Silver Arrows is already looking over his shoulder, and what he sees is a resurgent Red Bull with a four-time world champion behind the wheel.

"Take your hat off to Red Bull"

Red Bull started the season off the leading pace, and for much of the year the story at the front was about Mercedes and, at various points, Ferrari and McLaren. That narrative has shifted sharply in the last fortnight. Verstappen's maiden win of the campaign in Malaysia was followed within a week by a clean sweep in Singapore, where he took pole and victory in both the sprint and the grand prix.

Speaking after the race at Marina Bay, Wolff was full of praise for the way his rivals had transformed their fortunes.

"I really think that 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 and then you put Max Verstappen in the car and he feels a thing that wants it to drive, then these are the results."

The Austrian was clear about who had been the benchmark in the last two races, and equally clear about what it means for the future.

"By far the quickest guy [in Singapore], the quickest guy in Kuala Lumpur and let's see when our upgrade hopefully starts to work and land in a place where it should be, whether we can be competitive against him, but one thing is for sure, next year, it's a full-on fight between the teams and Red Bull is part of that."

Verstappen back to his imperious best

The Singapore Grand Prix was a reminder of the Verstappen of his title-winning years. Charles Leclerc made the better getaway and challenged down the inside into Turn One, but the Dutchman squeezed the Ferrari towards the pit wall and held on to the lead. Leclerc stayed within a second for around ten laps before the Red Bull began to edge clear, and from there Verstappen was never troubled. Leclerc, second at the flag, could get no closer than 7.3 seconds in the closing stages.

It was his first win in Singapore, a circuit that had long eluded him, and it confirmed that the Malaysia result was no one-off. Verstappen himself spoke of the motivation inside the team and how much he is enjoying working with the group in Milton Keynes, adding that he hoped they could "have a bit more fun until the end of the year".

A power unit that is not lagging behind

Perhaps the most striking part of Red Bull's turnaround is that it has come in the first season of their own power unit, the first engine the team has ever built. Many expected that project to be a weakness in 2026. Wolff, whose Mercedes engine department has long been the reference in the sport, suggested otherwise.

"I haven't seen the data yet from Singapore, but you can't see that it's lagging. They have done it well. The ICE seems to be very competitive. Obviously, you can see that with the ADUO but also in terms of energy recovery and energy deployment, they're pretty good."

The ADUO ranking, used under the new rules to assess power unit performance, has had Red Bull leading, and with energy management so central to the 2026 regulations, strength in recovery and deployment is a major asset heading into a second year of the formula.

Mercedes on the brink of a double

None of this changes the fact that 2026 has belonged to Mercedes. The team built its championship position on a flying start, winning eight of the first ten rounds of the new era. Since then the win rate has slowed to three victories from the last seven races, with Ferrari, McLaren and now Red Bull all proving capable of beating the Silver Arrows on a given weekend.

Antonelli's third place in Singapore, combined with George Russell's recovery to only ninth after starting from the back following engine penalties, pushed the Italian's lead to a season-high 102 points. Russell is still second in the standings, while Lewis Hamilton, who slid from second to sixth late in Singapore after choosing not to make a second stop, sits third, 111 points behind.

If all of that falls into place, the 20-year-old would replace Sebastian Vettel as the youngest world champion in Formula 1 history, in only his second season in the sport. Antonelli has insisted he is not thinking about the numbers. "I know it's very close, I know it's there, but I just need to make sure that I keep doing the best I can," he said. "If I don't do my job well, then the result won't come."

No more upgrades: Red Bull's eyes are on 2027

Red Bull now head to the Circuit of the Americas chasing a third consecutive grand prix win and continuing their bid to overhaul McLaren for third place in the constructors' standings. Their RB22 was transformed by a significant aerodynamic package introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix last month, which improved both outright pace and, crucially, the car's stability.

That package, however, was the team's last major update of the year. Team principal Laurent Mekies admits the pecking order "could very rapidly change if some or many of our competitors bring upgrades" over the final six rounds, and confirmed that the focus has already moved on.

"There will be no other substantial upgrade to the car. Don't get me wrong, it does not mean that we will not continue to push very hard to improve, continue to push very hard to use every remaining race to learn for this year and to learn for next year. The development programme will not change. We have put our focus to 2027."

Mekies paid tribute to the groups led by Pierre Wache and Ben Hodgkinson in Milton Keynes, while stressing that even a weekend with two poles and two wins had left the team with "a number of things we would like to see better done".

What it means for next season

That combination is exactly why Wolff expects such a fierce battle next year. Red Bull have shown they can develop a car rapidly within the new rules, their power unit is holding its own, and they still have the driver many regard as the best on the grid. With the team already devoting its resources to the 2027 car while Mercedes chase both titles, the Silver Arrows know their advantage from the opening rounds of this season may not carry over.

For now, though, attention turns to Austin. The United States Grand Prix takes place on Sunday 25 October, and it could provide both a coronation for Antonelli and another statement win for Verstappen and Red Bull.

Source: Sky Sports