Toto Wolff expects ‘full-on fight’ with Red Bull as Max Verstappen impresses
Toto Wolff believes Red Bull will be among Mercedes' main rivals in the 2027 Formula 1 season following Max Verstappen's recent resurgence.
The Red Bull star has won the last two races, with a dominant victory at the Singapore Grand Prix strengthening his team's position as one of the quickest on the grid.
Mercedes, meanwhile, are closing in on both the Drivers' and Constructors' championships, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli in contention to be named F1’s youngest-ever world champion at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, on the weekend of October 23-25.
However, Wolff expects a much tougher fight next season.
Wolff praises Red Bull resurgence
"I really think that you need to take your hat off to what Red Bull has done this season," said Wolff following Verstappen's dominant victory in Singapore.
"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 he feels a thing that wants it to drive, then these are the results.
"By far the quickest guy [in Singapore], the quickest guy in Kuala Lumpur and let's see when our upgrade hopefully starts to work and land in a place where it should be, whether we can be competitive against him, but one thing is for sure, next year, it's a full-on fight between the teams and Red Bull is part of that."
Red Bull had struggled to match the leading teams earlier in the season but have made significant progress with their RB22, putting Verstappen back in contention for race victories.
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Red Bull's power unit impresses Wolff
Wolff also praised Red Bull's power unit, which is the first developed in the team's history.
"I haven't seen the data yet from Singapore, but you can't see that it's lagging," said Wolff.
"They have done it well. The ICE [Internal Combustion Engine] seems to be very competitive. Obviously, you can see that with the ADUO [ranking, which Red Bull have found to be leading] but also in terms of energy recovery and energy deployment, they're pretty good."
Red Bull's recent improvement has come as the team looks to finish the 2026 season strongly, with Verstappen chasing a third consecutive victory at this weekend's United States GP.
However, the team have already shifted much of their development focus towards 2027, with team principal Laurent Mekies confirming that no further substantial upgrades are planned for this season.
With Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull all looking to challenge at the front, Wolff's prediction points towards a competitive battle next year.
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