What Red Bull requires to overtake McLaren at the United States Grand Prix
This weekend at the United States Grand Prix, Red Bull stands a chance to surpass McLaren in the constructors' championship. With the Woking team striving to maintain its third position, drivers Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar will need to deliver strong performances to keep their squad in the top three.
McLaren currently holds 339 points after 17 races, only seven points ahead of Red Bull, which has accumulated 332. The gap has narrowed swiftly following Verstappen's back-to-back victories at Sepang and Singapore, marking Red Bull's first wins with its own Ford-supported power unit. The team outscored McLaren 35 to 10 during the Malaysia weekend and 34 to 23 in Singapore.
Austin does not feature a Sprint, allowing for a maximum of 43 points to be earned by teams.
The straightforward rule is that Red Bull must achieve at least eight points more than McLaren. A seven-point difference would result in a tie, resolved by the count of best finishes. Both teams have secured two grand prix wins this season.
If Verstappen clinches victory and teammate Isack Hadjar does not score, McLaren needs to earn 17 points or less. If Lando Norris finishes third and Oscar Piastri comes in ninth, Red Bull would lead by a single point. A second-place finish for McLaren, with the other car failing to score, would leave the teams tied.
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
If Verstappen finishes third, McLaren’s maximum points drop to seven, such as seventh and tenth place finishes.
If neither McLaren car scores, Red Bull would only require eight points, meaning a sixth position for either driver would shift the standings.
Every point Hadjar secures increases McLaren's upper limit by that same amount. A victory for Verstappen with Hadjar in fifth would grant Red Bull 35 points, so if Norris finishes second and Piastri sixth, totaling 26 points, Red Bull would still come out ahead.
What Red Bull requires to surpass McLaren in Austin
| Red Bull result | Red Bull points | Maximum McLaren can score | Example McLaren result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verstappen 1st | 25 | 17 | Norris 3rd, Piastri 9th |
| Verstappen 1st, Hadjar 5th | 35 | 27 | Norris 2nd, Piastri 6th |
| Verstappen 2nd | 18 | 10 | One car 5th, the other out of the points |
| Verstappen 3rd | 15 | 7 | 7th and 10th |
| Verstappen 4th | 12 | 4 | One car 8th, the other out of the points |
| Verstappen 5th | 10 | 2 | One car 9th, the other out of the points |
| Verstappen or Hadjar 6th | 8 | 0 | Both cars out of the points |
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella appears unfazed by the recent surge in performance from the Milton Keynes team.
“This season can be described as a game of ping-pong,” Stella remarked. “I believe Verstappen and Red Bull are simply capitalizing on the upgrades they have implemented. However, three tenths of a second is a margin that can be gained with further enhancements.”
What we hear from McLaren could leave supporters feeling anxious. Norris has labeled the MCL40 as “mentally exhausting” to pilot, and Stella has indicated that its fundamental issues will not be resolved until the 2027 model is released.
Verstappen remains humble as always.
“I don’t want to claim that I will be in contention in Austin, but yes, the past few weekends have been fantastic,” he stated. “I just approach it one race at a time.”
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