Wolff lauds Verstappen and Red Bull surge as Mercedes struggles to read its own upgrade

Toto Wolff has acknowledged Red Bull as the current benchmark in Formula 1 after Max Verstappen claimed back-to-back victories in Malaysia and Singapore, while Mercedes continues to search for answers on whether its latest upgrade package is actually working.

Speaking after the Singapore Grand Prix, Wolff credited three interlocking factors behind Red Bull’s resurgence: a substantial aerodynamic overhaul introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix — covering the floor, diffuser, sidepods, mirrors, and halo — a coherent development path, and Verstappen himself.

“Really you need to take your hat off to what Red Bull has done this season,” Wolff said. “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 when he feels that this thing is driving like he wants it to drive, then you know these are the results.”

Verstappen’s win in Singapore was his second in succession following his first victory of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, and Wolff was candid about the scale of the challenge Verstappen poses. “In by far the quickest guy today, has been the quickest guy in quali,” he added, before noting that next season would bring a full inter-team reckoning.

Mercedes, meanwhile, is still trying to establish whether its own upgrade package delivers the gains it anticipated. Difficult track conditions in Malaysia prevented the team from drawing reliable conclusions, so Singapore became the next evaluation opportunity. The team took the unusual step of running a split configuration — Kimi Antonelli carried the new package plus a revised front wing, while George Russell ran the older specification.

Wolff described the decision as an attempt to accelerate Mercedes’ learning curve, but acknowledged the results were not yet clear-cut. “Fundamentally looking back at the race now at the end of the weekend, I think that this new car needs a very different” setup approach, he began, with the team’s analysis still ongoing.

Despite the uncertainty around its own machinery, Wolff struck a measured tone on the competitive picture heading into the final stretch of the season, suggesting Red Bull’s progress has reset expectations. “Next year it’s full on the fight between the teams and Red Bull is part of that,” he said.