Toto Wolff's got massive respect for what Red Bull have pulled off this season, and he's not holding back about it. After Max Verstappen absolutely dominated the past two weekends in Malaysia and Singapore, the Mercedes boss reckons you've got to take your hat off to the work Red Bull have done developing the RB22. Verstappen finally got his first win of 2026 at Sepang, then followed it up with pole, the Sprint win, and victory at Marina Bay. That's the kind of form that catches everyone's attention, especially when you consider how much Red Bull have been struggling earlier in the season.

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What's really grabbed Wolff's attention is how Verstappen performs when the car finally clicks into place. The four-time champion was by far the fastest driver in Singapore, and he was matching that in Malaysia too. That's the kind of performance level that makes everyone else sit up and take notice. Wolff admits that once their own upgrades finally start working the way they want them to, Mercedes will have a proper shot at competing with Red Bull. But there's no denying how well Red Bull managed their development through the middle part of the season.

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Looking ahead to 2027, Wolff's certain of one thing: it's going to be an all-out war between the top teams, and Red Bull will absolutely be in the mix. Verstappen's climbed up to fourth in the standings with his back-to-back wins and sits just 17 points behind George Russell now. That's a proper recovery considering Andrea Kimi Antonelli's got a massive 119-point lead going into the final rounds. This year's been different for Verstappen though, marking the first time since 2020 that he hasn't fought for the championship, after Lando Norris pipped him last year by just two points.

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For now, the focus is on how things finish up in 2026, with Antonelli just one win away from becoming F1's youngest-ever champion. But Wolff's clear message is simple: expect Max Verstappen and Red Bull back at the front of the grid when next season kicks off. When a driver of Verstappen's calibre gets a car that suits him, the results speak for themselves.

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