It is a confirmation that Red Bull has found the way up, after it was already very competitive in Monza and Baku in recent weeks. But Singapore is a completely different circuit, on which with a lot downforce (downward pressure) is being driven.
McLaren team boss Andrea Stella says he is not so surprised. “We see a clear pattern,” said the Italian. “We don’t have the best car on circuits that are heavy on the brakes, in combination with bumps and kerbstones. You saw that in Canada, in Baku and now also in Singapore. We mainly gain time in turns, but they are quite short here. This is more about braking and traction.”
Stella sees two important reasons for loss of dominance
That is the technical side of the story. Stella also thinks that the competition, and in particular Red Bull, has further developed this season and has started to understand better. “We stopped developing the car some time ago and fully focused on 2026. Red Bull brought a new floor to Monza and came here with a new front wing. So there are two sides to the story: our development and also the characteristics of the circuits on which we have driven in recent weeks.”
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Which circuits are McLaren still?
Stella also thinks that the next race in Austin can be a ‘bit of a struggle’ for McLaren, because the curves there are tight in many Remzones. “At the beginning of the season we had an advantage on many circuits, but the field is now closer together. Although I think that in the remainder of the season the circuits in Brazil, Qatar and Abu Dhabi are our car well. That Red Bull also here in Singapore, on a circuit where they often had a hard time, is no surprise to me. Max Verstappen.