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Formula One’s new era starts at this weekend’s season-opening Australian Grand Prix, where teams will leap ‌into the unknown and grapple with sweeping technical changes under race conditions for ​the first time. F1 has simultaneously ‌overhauled chassis and power unit regulations for the first time in decades, ‌posing a challenge for drivers and engineers ‌alike while raising concerns about the quality ‌of racing. With near-parity between electrical and combustion engines and cars running on 100% advanced sustainable fuel, drivers gained some insight into the changes during winter testing. But all are in the dark about how the reset will play out when going wheel-to-wheel on race-day. “I’m certainly more comfortable now than I was a couple of months ago, with how to drive these cars and how to try and get the most out of them,” McLaren’s Oscar Piastri told reporters. “But I think there’s still the saying of, ‘You don’t ​know what you don’t know’.” Australian Piastri said McLaren thought they had the cars worked out two months ago, only to find they had “a whole bunch of stuff” they did not understand during winter testing. With ‌more power generated by electricity than last year’s engines, there ​is more emphasis on drivers needing to be tactical with energy deployment ​and regeneration. The old drag reduction system has been replaced by a new overtake mode giving extra power for overtaking. Four-times world champion Max Verstappen described the changes as “like Formula E on steroids” and “anti-racing”. Formula One chief executive Stefano Domenicali defended them and assured fans there will still be plenty of thrills. The changes may have different effects at different circuits, leaving all teams to learn on the fly, week by week. Piastri said Sunday’s race at Albert Park would probably showcase the more “unnatural” parts of driving. “You know, a lot more lift and coast, a lot more kind of just driving to maximise the ‌power unit,” he said. “You’ve got power ‌units that are reducing in power down the straights at different points. And there’s a lot of unknowns, a lot of challenges in there.” The new regulations raised hopes of a more open championship and the prospect of a disruptor team emerging to force change at the top. But pre-season testing in Bahrain hinted at a familiar top four, with Ferrari, Mercedes, Red Bull and McLaren all performing. Audi team principal Jonathan Wheatley said the gap between the “best and the rest” might only widen. “I think it’s going to be a very different year ​in terms of the competitiveness in the sport,” he told Reuters. “We’re already seeing the gap between the fastest teams and the slowest teams, but larger than it’s been in the last few years.” Whatever the pecking order, F1 race tracks will be more crowded with the addition of the new Cadillac team although there may be more breathing room at Albert Park given Aston Martin’s pre-season troubles. Despite the technical guidance of Adrian Newey, who joined from Red Bull, the Honda-powered team completed few laps during winter testing and have reliability problems. The AMR26 cars ‌will be in Australia - ​something of a relief for F1 management - but may only race for a few laps before retiring. 

Formula One is keeping a close eye on the situation in ‌the Middle East and any decision on races scheduled for Bahrain and Saudi ​Arabia next month will be guided ‌by safety, the sport and governing body FIA said.Australian Grand Prix chief executive ‌Travis Auld expected there ⁠to be no impact ‌on this weekend's season-opener at Melbourne's Albert ‌Park from travel issues caused by conflict in the Gulf region. US and Israeli bombing of Iran ⁠at the weekend was followed by retaliatory strikes on Gulf States with the result that all activity in one of the world's main aviation hubs has ceased.Formula One teams recently completed pre-season testing in the Gulf State of Bahrain and many personnel were scheduled to pass through Qatar or the United Arab Emirates on their journey to Australia for Sunday's race."No doubts the events of the weekend have thrown out the travel plans for the teams and F1 ​themselves," Auld said. "F1 are experts at moving people around the world and so they've quickly rescheduled flights. I'm told, everyone's now locked in and arriving within the required timeframes, and so there'll ‌be no impact on our race."The season-opener will be followed in March by races in China and ​Japan before the first of the Gulf races on the Formula One calendar in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in April. Qatar and Abu Dhabi are the season-enders in November and December.Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the Emirati who heads the governing International Automobile Federation (FIA), said in a statement his thoughts were with all those affected. "We are in close contact with our member clubs, championship promoters, teams, and colleagues on the ground as we monitor developments carefully and responsibly," he added. "Safety and wellbeing will guide our decisions as we assess the forthcoming events scheduled there for the FIA World Endurance Championship and the FIA Formula One world championship."Formula One said separately ‌it was closely monitoring the situation. Auld ‌said that the nature of the ⁠Albert Park venue made it unlikely that Melbourne would be able to step in and stage another ⁠race if the conflict meant Bahrain or ⁠Saudi Arabia were unable to host their rounds."Obviously, we spent a lot of time constructing this circuit, and straight after the race, we pull it all back down again so the community can use it," he said. "They'll have other plans in place, as you would imagine, for a whole series of reasons."The Middle Eastern races are significant contributors to Formula One's revenues through hosting fees worth many ​tens of millions of dollars but Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar also have deep ties to the sport. Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund owns McLaren Racing while Abu Dhabi controls the sportscar company. Qatar has a significant investment in F1 newcomers Audi.Saudi energy giant Aramco is a global partner of the sport and title sponsor of the Aston Martin team. Formula One ran races without spectators during the COVID-19 pandemic and also has a list of circuits that might be able to step in at short notice, should that be required.In 2022 the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix went ‌ahead despite rocket attacks ​by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on an oil facility near the Jeddah street circuit. 

Williams driver Alexander Albon fears missing the Barcelona shakedown last month has left his team clawing to make up lost ground to its main rivals in the build-up on the new Formula One season.With all teams scrambling to conform to the sweeping overhaul of engine and chassis regulations, Williams were behind the pace and so skipped the shakedown, preferring to do virtual track testing with Albon and his teammate Carlos Sainz.Williams did take part in last week's testing in Bahrain and are back on track again this week but the Thai-British driver is concerned that they may have lost some serious ground to Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari."Obviously it was frustrating to miss out in Barcelona," Albon, 29, told AFP on Wednesday."Clearly we missed an opportunity to learn. We are a little bit on the back foot compared to our rivals up and down the grid."And we've realised just there's so much learning to do in these days. Every day has become so valuable."Even just looking at ourselves, how much we've improved from the first day of testing last week to where we are now is huge."Team principal James Vowles has already said he is determined Williams should do at least as well as their fifth place in the constructors' standings in 2025, their joint-best finish in 10 years."I share the same vision as James," said Albon."I feel that it would always be nice to be even more, even closer to the top teams and pulling away from the midfield fight."Realistically, I think it's going to be a big challenge for us to be able to be there."We are as a team very ambitious. Unfortunately we found some bottlenecks and so we are on the back foot."We're not where we want to be for now. That's not to say we can't get back to the top five in the constructors and have a good season, but we have some catching up to do."'Special' ThailandThe London-born driver, who announced his engagement to Chinese LPGA golfer Lily He last month, is just the second driver in 75 years of Formula One to race under the Thai flag."I feel very much Thai in who I am," Albon said."I am Buddhist and I feel very close to Thai people, Thai culture. I resonate much closer to Thailand than I do anywhere else. So it means a lot."What meant a lot to me was my first podium in Formula 1 to see the Thai flag behind me. It was very special."That passion for his mother's country - his father is the British racing driver Nigel Albon - has also stoked a desire to create a Grand Prix in Thailand."One of my biggest goals is to try to make this happen," he said."I think that would be amazing for the country. We're speaking almost every day about how we can make this work. So it's a big goal of mine."I think it has the infrastructure and hospitality and the friendliness to have it."Albon also believes Thailand can position itself as the motorsport capital of the region."There is not really the structure apart from Japan in motorsport for Southeast Asia."There needs to be one. And I would love it to be Thailand."I'd say there needs to be a culture and a structure where we need to make it happen."Also it would be amazing for me to be able to say that Thailand is almost the Asian home of motorsport or Formula 1." 

Formula One newcomers Cadillac may finish last this season but Sergio Perez will be ‌disappointed if they do.The Mexican and equally-experienced Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas ‌are multiple race winners who ‍know their way around the world's circuits and both feel they have something to achieve.The General ⁠Motors-backed team make their race debut ⁠in Australia on March 8 with Ferrari engines and have recruited heavily from rivals ‍since securing an entry as the 11th outfit on the starting grid."We are definitely not having that mindset (of being last)," Perez, 36, told Reuters ahead of Cadillac launching their 2026 livery with an advert during Sunday's Super Bowl between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks in Santa Clara, California."Not with the level of investment that has been put in place."We will definitely ‌be very disappointed to finish last. We know we will not win the championship for sure, but we definitely want to make a lot of progress and beat a ‍couple of teams."Perez had a year ⁠out last year ‌after parting from Red Bull at the end of 2024 but he said Cadillac felt like getting the band back together.His race engineer at Cadillac will be Italian Carlo Pasetti, who worked with the Mexican at Racing Point (now Aston Martin)."This is a team that has recruited people from basically all the teams that I've been with," said Perez, who started with Sauber and has also raced for Force India, McLaren, Racing Point and Red Bull."I think this team, this structure, has the capacity to go a very long way in the sport. I think it's going to ​become a very important team in ‌the future of Formula One."Bottas agreed it was a huge project and saw the Super Bowl advert as a ⁠clear statement of intent with ‍an expected U.S. television and streaming platform audience in excess of 120 million people."It was pretty much what I expected," he said of the launch plan. "From the beginning I knew the team is going all in. And of course we're trying to reach new fans. They always said from the top that they were going ​large on everything."But it's pretty cool... that's going to reach quite a few eyeballs, which is good."Bottas said it would take time for the on-track performance to match the ambition and he was trying to take "all the best bits" from his years with Williams, Mercedes and Sauber."I'm prepared that it could be a tough start," said the Finn. "And I don't mind if we don't start in a great way. Of course I want to. But if we don't, then that's ⁠where we are."It's not really where we start from, it's where we end up together. And that's the motivation." (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Clare Fallon) 

Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll said Tuesday the team is set to embark on a "development journey" as Formula One readies for its ‌biggest technical overhaul in decades.Speaking in Tokyo at an ‌event to launch Aston ‍Martin's partnership with Honda, Stroll had high hopes for the team's new power unit ⁠but acknowledged they would have ⁠no idea how it would stack up against their rivals until ‍they get on track."We're all sitting here anxiously waiting to get on track and I really don't think we'll have the answer to that question before we get to Melbourne," he said."And even when we get to Melbourne, you know these rules and regulations will be in place for five years."Formula One ‌faces a new engine era in the upcoming season as well as the rule changes. The sport will see thinner and lighter cars and ‍a 50/50 split on ⁠internal combustion, using ‌sustainable fuel, and electric power.Testing starts behind closed doors in Barcelona on January 26, before the 2026 championship begins with the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne in early March.Honda unveiled the new power unit for the 2026 season at the event, marking the official start of its exclusive supply deal with Aston Martin."There'll be reliability issues, there'll be all sorts of things," Stroll said, adding that he believed it was the first time in Formula One history that teams ​faced a new chassis and ‌power unit at the same time."There'll be a lot of issues to contend with, but ⁠we're very positive."Aston Martin ‍enters the season as a works team with Honda and with new team principal Adrian Newey leading the design of the new car.Honda CEO Toshihiro Mibe said he believed electrification technology became more important this year in order to win given the engine's electric power ​usage."We want to show that Honda's technology is world class, even in the age of electrification," he said.Andy Cowell, Aston Martin's chief strategy officer, said Honda and Aston Martin had set tough targets and were already deep into validation testing."We want to win. But we understand that Formula One is the pinnacle of motor sport," he said."It's really exciting," he added. "Pulling together an Adrian Newey-designed ⁠Aston Martin Honda car is something that everybody is really revelling in." 

McLaren’s Norris leads Red Bull’s Verstappen by 12 pointsPiastri a further four behindVerstappen can match Schumacher’s five in a rowFormula One will crown its champion in Abu Dhabi on Sunday with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both seeking to dethrone Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and deny the Dutchman his fifth title in a row. Norris is favourite in the three-way showdown, 12 points clear of Verstappen and needing ‘only’ to finish on the podium at Yas Marina whoever wins on what could be a night of high drama. The last season before the start of a fresh era for the sport, and the expansion to 11 teams with new rules and engines, has been one of comebacks and shocks for all three contenders and none can be counted out. All have seven wins each, all capable of adding to that tally and ready to deliver an edge-of-seat sunset finale that might have come straight out of Brad Pitt’s recent F1 movie blockbuster. All have also suffered the agony of race retirements due to collisions or crashes. Norris, winner of the opener in Melbourne last March, was 34 points behind Piastri at the end of August but turned his fortunes around with a hot streak while the Australian stalled.He won in Abu Dhabi from pole last year, after losing a title battle with Verstappen. “It’s been an incredible season. We have an incredible car. I’m proud of everyone in the team. Thank you to all of our fans. We’ve got one more race, and we’ll give it everything,” he said.Piastri, leading from Saudi Arabia in April to Mexico in October, had looked set for Australia’s first championship since Alan Jones 45 years ago but is now 16 points behind his teammate.He needs to win or finish second and hope for a twist in the tale -- twice this century the driver who was third overall going into the final round has come out on top. Verstappen, who can join Michael Schumacher as the only drivers to take five titles in a row, could be on for the most astonishing comeback of all after being 104 points behind Piastri in late August. “We stay in the fight until the end,” grinned the Dutchman after winning in Qatar last weekend, following on from victory in Las Vegas the Saturday before that. Abu Dhabi has been a happy hunting ground for him in the past, with four wins in a row at the anti-clockwise circuit until last year. Another win, with Norris not on the podium, would suffice. McLaren had both their cars disqualified in Las Vegas and threw away a win for Piastri and podium for Norris in Qatar thanks to bungled strategy. Surely the runaway constructors’ champions, with the second highest single-season points tally of all time, can’t let slip through their fingers a first title double since 1998? PRIZEMONEY AND PADDOCK PECKING ORDER While the title drama plays out, others will be chasing prizemoney and points to improve their place in the paddock pecking order. Mercedes and Red Bull are fighting for second place, although the former look likely to prevail with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli given the latter team’s reliance on Verstappen.The race will be a final outing for Japan’s Yuki Tsunoda at Red Bull, his seat handed to Frenchman Isack Hadjar for next season, and engine partners Honda before switching to Aston Martin. Ferrari have one last chance to win a race in 2025 while seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton is facing a first season without even standing on the podium.Sauber, in their last race before becoming the factory Audi team and with Nico Hulkenberg making his 250th start, are only five points behind eighth-placed Haas who are in turn seven adrift of Aston Martin. Renault-owned Alpine are competing for the last time with Renault engines before a switch to Mercedes power. For Argentine driver Franco Colapinto that means one last attempt to score his first point of the campaign. 

Serbian tennis great Novak Djokovic leads a movement session on the track at Lusail International Circuit ahead of the Formula One Qatar Grand Prix.**media[387156]**

Contrary to popular lore, what happens in Las Vegas most definitely does not stay in Vegas as far as Formula One is concerned.The aftershock of Sunday's double disqualification in Nevada hangs over champions McLaren ahead of a sprint weekend at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar that could hand Lando Norris his first Formula One crown – or erode his lead.The Briton is 24 points clear of Australian teammate Oscar Piastri and Red Bull's reigning champion Max Verstappen with two rounds remaining – a total of 58 points to be won and all to play for. After Sunday, there will be just 25 on offer.Norris and Piastri finished second and fourth respectively in Las Vegas but, due to the under-car plank and rear skids wearing too thin, lost their points in a development that blew the title battle wide open."During the race, both cars experienced unexpected, high levels of porpoising (bouncing) not seen in the practice sessions, which led to excessive contact with the ground," team boss Andrea Stella explained on Sunday night. "The breach was unintentional, there was no deliberate attempt to circumvent the regulations, and mitigating circumstances also existed."The thinner the plank, the closer to the ground the car rides and the faster it goes. The open and unanswered question, as the circus prepares for the second part of a final triple header, is how much McLaren's performance might now be affected over the season-ending weekends in the Middle East.Rivals, and particularly Red Bull who have Verstappen chasing a fifth title in a row after winning in Las Vegas, will be keeping a very close eye on developments. Qatar and Abu Dhabi should play to McLaren's strengths – Piastri won last year's sprint while Norris set the fastest race lap -- but will they have to play safe and run a higher setting than usual, giving away some aerodynamic advantage?Verstappen also has a great record in Qatar as the only driver to win twice there, the Dutchman clinching his third title in 2023 after the Saturday sprint, which was also won by Piastri.He won last year, with Norris demoted from second to 10th after collecting a 10 second stop/go penalty for speeding during yellow warning flags. "Just trying to enjoy, have a good time, and when you can win, you try to win," Verstappen said of his approach after Sunday's success.George Russell put Mercedes on pole at the Lusail circuit last year, after Verstappen was demoted one place for driving unnecessarily slowly, and will be one to watch along with teammate Kimi Antonelli. Mercedes are solidly second in the constructors' championship, 40 points clear of Red Bull and 53 ahead of Ferrari, but nothing is certain."We have the added challenge of the sprint format this weekend and an imposed usage limit on the tyres too," said principal Toto Wolff. "Making a solid start in FP1 (practice), and having a good base to build from, will be key. We expect our competitors to be quick; warm conditions and high-speed corners haven't been our strength this year."Pirelli has imposed a maximum of 25 laps per set of tyres for Sunday's race, following analysis of wear from 2024 and after similar limits in 2023.That will mean at least two pitstops per driver and also produce a faster pace – which could subject the plank to more punishment and reduce the need for tyre management, another McLaren strength.McLaren also have two drivers to manage while Verstappen is his team's sole focus, will get priority in pitstops and – when it comes to championships – has been there before and will be laser focused. 

The Years of Culture initiative unveiled the next stage of its global collaboration with Formula One (F1) driver Pierre Gasly of the BWT Alpine F1 Team: a new racing helmet designed by acclaimed Brazilian illustrator and street artist Fernando Chamarelli, inspired by the legacy of the Qatar-Brazil 2014 Year of Culture.Uniting art and sport on a global stage, Gasly is debuting two new helmet designs at Grand Prix races in The Netherlands and Brazil, each created in partnership with artists inspired by the mission of Years of Culture to build dialogue and mutual understanding through cross-cultural exchange. Transforming one of F1's most visible symbols, this partnership engages fans worldwide through the creative visions of artists from diverse international backgrounds.Chamarelli explained that the falcon is the main symbolic figure, representing Qatar's strength and culture. The colours of the Brazilian flag are woven throughout the design, merging with the maroon tone of Qatar's flag to create harmony between both nations. The shapes evoke the dunes of the Qatari desert and the green of the Brazilian rainforest, symbolising the connection between nature and land. Indigenous patterns and the sun represent energy and life, culminating in a colourful composition that celebrates the union of two cultures through art and symbolism.Pierre Gasly said: "Racing is a global stage that brings people and cultures together. Partnering with Years of Culture allows me to share the creativity and stories of artists from around the world. Each helmet I wear carries a piece of that dialogue."Gasly debuted the first helmet of the series on Aug. 31 at Circuit Zandvoort in The Netherlands. Created by Dutch artist Johan Moorman, the design reinterpreted Amsterdam's iconic façades and the palettes of the Dutch and French flags, integrating Gasly's personal heritage into the motif. Since its inception in 2012, Years of Culture has built lasting bridges between Qatar and nations across the world, building understanding through creativity, dialogue, and collaboration.

McLaren boss Andrea Stella says Formula One title contenders Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri can both feel confident going into the last four races, with neither likely to have a track advantage.Norris took over at the top by a point from his Australian teammate in Mexico on Sunday but Stella told reporters there was everything to play for in Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. There are also two sprints to come in Sao Paulo and Doha. “I think both Lando and Oscar go into the final four races with reasons to be confident,” said the Italian.“The team also go into the final four races with more understanding of how to extract performance from the car consistently, because over the last four races before Mexico at times we have left some performance in the garage.“In the final four races, there’s no reason to think that one (track) may favour one driver or the other.”Piastri has been beaten by Norris in the last five races and the Briton’s dominant victory from pole position in Mexico City on Sunday wiped out the 24-year-old’s 14 point advantage. Norris has said he does not believe in momentum, however, and Piastri sounded more optimistic about his situation after racing from seventh on the grid to fifth at the chequered flag on Sunday.He said he had adapted his driving style to Mexico’s low-grip circuit – conditions Norris thrives on whereas Piastri prefers high grip – and found far more pace than in practice and qualifying.He might have grabbed fourth from Haas’s Oliver Bearman, but for a late virtual safety car.“For Lando and Oscar, there’s no problem in terms of track layout coming in the next four races,” Stella said.“If anything, we need to make sure that from a McLaren point of view we are in condition to extract the full performance that is available in the car.”Stella pointed out that Las Vegas had been difficult for McLaren last season but this year could be different, with the tyres graining less.Norris’s win was his first since Hungary in August and McLaren’s first since the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of that month – ending a run of four races without a win for the champions.Stella said Mexico had been a confidence boost for McLaren, even if Red Bull’s resurgent four-times champion Max Verstappen, third on Sunday, cut his gap to the top from 40 points to 36.“We have proven that we have a car that can win races and in some conditions can dominate races,” he added.“This is the most important factor to put Lando and Oscar in condition to pursue the drivers’ championship. I don’t think it’s about mathematics, it’s about competitiveness. And it was important to confirm this competitiveness.”McLaren have ruled out giving Piastri a new chassis, something drivers often ask for when going through an inexplicable drop in performance.“Every evidence, every piece of data, every indirect measurement or information we have tells us that there is no problem with the car,” he told reporters after Saturday qualifying.“In reality, there’s a rotation of parts. So it’s not like there’s always the same parts on the car. So we have reasons to be reassured that there’s no problem with the car.”

Resurgent Formula One champion Max Verstappen rejected a suggestion he had "lost interest" when Red Bull were struggling earlier this season and said he had always fought hard for every point.The Dutch driver was responding at the Mexican Grand Prix on Thursday to a comment by Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko, a close ally who has played an important role in the Dutch driver's career."Max at one stage when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a little bit of interest," the 82-year-old Austrian told Sky Sports television in Texas last weekend after the driver won the sprint and main race from pole position.Verstappen fell 104 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri at the end of August but has since roared back with three wins in the last four races.He is now 40 points behind the Australian with five rounds remaining and back in contention for what would be a fifth successive title."Of course it's more enjoyable coming to the race weekends like this than knowing that you don't have a chance to win," the driver, a five-times winner in Mexico, told reporters."But I know for myself that when I sit in the car, I always try to maximise everything that I have. And I give it everything."So even if I'm fighting for fourth or even ninth, I will always try to get the best out of it."Verstappen has a keen interest in sportscar racing, competing and winning in the GT3 category at the Nuerburgring last month.Marko had suggested the driver was allowed to do that "to keep him in a good mood"."Now that the car is working, and his success at the Nurburgring, I would say two tenths just came from him because he's really motivated ... you don't hear him shouting, he's smiling - that's what you need," he added.Verstappen said the Nuerburgring race had been arranged far in advance and he had been competing online during the season and on F1 weekends for years already."There's nothing really that has changed in terms of how professional I approach my race weekends," he said.Verstappen said the upturn in the car's performance was a "combination of a lot of things" including upgrades that allowed it to run in a different configuration."These cars are super-sensitive, right? So you're sliding a bit less, the tyres also work a bit better and that gives you also better race pace."So it's a lot of things that just came together that suddenly unlocked quite a bit more pace within the car. And that gives me more confidence and allowed us also to set up the car a little bit more aggressive."

Mekies credits team effort for performance improvementVerstappen has two wins, four podiums in last four racesRed Bull boss Laurent Mekies is refusing to take any credit for the Formula One team's improved performance since the Frenchman replaced Christian Horner at the helm in July.Four-times world champion Max Verstappen has won twice since Mekies arrived six races ago and has been on the podium in the last four races, finishing second in Singapore last weekend.Before Zandvoort, a home race where he finished second, Verstappen had not been on the podium for four races."It's still zero, guys. It's still zero," Mekies told reporters in Singapore when asked how much credit he felt he could take for the turnaround."The improvement in performance is very basically due to the work of everyone trying to analyse the limitations of the car, race after race."What is stopping us from exploiting the potential of the car? How can we add performance to the car? Where do we need to add performance for it to convert into lap time?"Verstappen has gone from being 104 points behind McLaren's championship leader Oscar Piastri after the Dutch Grand Prix at the end of August to 63 adrift of the Australian following Sunday's race.With six grands prix and three Saturday sprint races remaining, Verstappen is still in the title reckoning although very much a long shot."I think Laurent is probably being too nice," the champion said of Mekies' words, with Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko earlier saying the boss was 'too humble'."At the end of the day, what is very good is that we just approach it as a proper team effort. We always tried to look into the details. We tried to understand what our weaknesses were. And since a few races it's definitely picked up a lot."I do think that now we understand why or how we can be better. By asking the right questions, including Laurent being involved in that, it's just working well."McLaren retained their constructors' title in Singapore and are expected to do the double and end Verstappen's run of four successive drivers' crowns. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin Editing by Christian Radnedge)