According to Mekies, the starting issues cannot be resolved in the short term. Several components are involved, including the engine, gearbox, and clutch. While minor improvements may be possible before the end of the season, Red Bull does not expect a fundamental change until 2027. "We are still not the benchmark here," said Mekies. "It will require significant hardware changes, and we won't see those until next year." [auto-motor-und-sport.de/form…]

According to RN365, Bridgestone is actively pushing to return to Formula 1 as a tyre supplier. The Japanese manufacturer has kept a low profile, but it was present at several grands prix over the last couple of months, with its involvement becoming far more visible at the last two rounds in Singapore and the United States. A delegation of high-level Bridgestone experts attended both races, holding background discussions about the company's planned involvement and a possible return to the sport. Bridgestone last supplied F1 at the end of 2010, before Pirelli took over as the championship's exclusive tyre supplier in 2011. Pirelli's current deal was extended in 2023 to cover the 2025 to 2027 seasons, and the FIA activated a one-year extension option in July 2026. That means the Milan-based manufacturer is locked in as F1's tyre supplier until at least the end of the 2028 campaign. [racingnews365.com/former-f1-…]

Available tyre sets for today's race

According to GPblog, Red Bull Powertrains is not planning to supply engines to a third team alongside Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. The full focus will remain on its own organisation for the time being. Red Bull Powertrains believes it is better to concentrate on two teams rather than three. [gpblog.com/nl/nieuws/red-bul…]

Tears at Ford after Verstappen’s victories Mark Rushbrook (Global Director of Ford Racing): "There were tears, for sure. There is such a positive sentiment among our employees regarding Ford’s return to Formula 1. And to secure a win in the very first year of our partnership with Red Bull—that feels truly special. It’s been the talk of our headquarters all week; it has meant a great deal to the entire company." Mark Rushbrook is also full of praise for the collaboration with Verstappen. The American first met the Dutchman in 2023, when Verstappen got behind the wheel of a Ford Supervan 4.2 at the Grand Sambuc circuit. "It was clear right away that he is not only a great champion but also a wonderful person. It’s fantastic to be able to work with him, both on and off the track." [gpblog.com/nl/nieuws/tranen-…]

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Isack Hadjar after FP2:“We started the day well in FP1. The track was as bumpy as expected, but we learned a lot from it. For the second session, we made a few adjustments. They didn’t yield the results we were hoping for, as we ran into some difficulties with the soft tires compared to the medium compound. The first sector was good, but after that, we struggled with tire temperatures for the rest of the lap. There are areas for improvement that we need to work on tonight, specifically the car’s balance which should help us. Fridays exist for a reason, so let’s keep the momentum going tomorrow.”

Max Verstappen after FP2: “It’s never easy at this circuit to find a good compromise between the car’s set-up for the slow and fast corners. The bumpy surface makes it even more difficult. We’ve been trying to find a good rhythm and balance in the car, and that’s what we worked on between the first and second free practice sessions. There’s still some work to do, but it wasn’t a bad start to the weekend.”

Pierre Waché after FP2: “The set-up we are running is less stiff than last year, but the car is still not compliant enough over the bumps, which made today quite challenging as finding the right balance was more difficult than expected. The main challenge this weekend is managing tyre degradation over the long runs while making sure the compromises we make for race pace don’t cost us too much in qualifying.” “We had a steering issue on Max’s car in FP1, which we managed to resolve, and we saw some improvements with the set-up in FP2. With the high-speed corners in sector 1, pushing the tyres too hard early on can compromise the rest of the lap. We are focused on improving our low-speed performance and, while the race is our priority, we also want to put ourselves in the strongest possible position for qualifying.” [news.verstappen.com/en/artic…]

🚨 Red Bull’s upgrades for Austin Front Wing - Performance Front Corner - Reliability

Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen’s Singapore win: “Singapore was absolutely one of the best races of his career.” “Funny enough, he had already said three weeks earlier that he could win Singapore.” “Now that he has a good car again, I believe he will still become vice world champion.” Marko expects that Red Bull and Verstappen can fully compete for the championship again in 2027. “I am convinced that Max will fight for the world title again. Verstappen against Antonelli, that will be exciting.” [racingnews365.nl/marko-trekt…]

Isack Hadjar ahead of the US Grand Prix in Austin: “After Singapore, it was good to go back to Paris and spend time with my family and friends after a difficult weekend. I feel like I’ve recharged my batteries, and I’m ready to get straight back to work in Austin. The last triple-header was a very positive period for the team, and the car has really taken a step forward in terms of performance. We want to carry that momentum with us to the United States. Another triple-header awaits us, so we’ll need to stay focused and work hard to finish it on a positive note. I’m looking forward to fighting at the front again, and COTA is a fantastic circuit to race at, so it should be a lot of fun.”

Max Verstappen ahead of the US Grand Prix in Austin: “To finally win in Singapore was a special moment and to get two race wins and a sprint race in a row with our own power unit is something to be celebrated and for the team to be proud of.” “This track in Austin is very different to drive, but is always quite enjoyable despite it being quite bumpy. It has its long corners and elevation changes, so we need to make sure we hit the ground running with the set-up of the car. Austin is always a fun weekend and there is a lot to do in the city. We are going again into another triple header and our focus is on continuing this momentum, maximising our opportunities and getting as many points for the constructors’ championship as we can.” [news.verstappen.com/en/artic…]

Pierre Waché on how much of the RB22 will carry over to the 2027 RB23 "There are some modifications to the regulations, and we have plenty of limitations on the car - and I'm sure others have different limitations. "It is not good for the [cost] cap, so we try to transfer not as much; it is not good for the budget cap, but we try to make plenty of new parts on the car. "More or less close to nothing will transfer [to 2027], because there are plenty [of areas] we think we have identified we can improve. "[These are] in terms of packaging, aerodynamics, and mechanical, and we will transfer some stuff, but it will be a very small amount, like the gearbox and chassis will be different." [racingnews365.com/exclusive-…]

Max Verstappen and Valentino Rossi

Max Verstappen secured Red Bull’s first two wins of the season in Malaysia and Singapore, with the team’s first-ever in-house power unit. Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché states that the team will not simply be satisfied with these few successes. Asked if there was ever any doubt that the project would not work this season, Wache was unequivocal. “No, because you are never satisfied with what you achieve. The advantage of that for us is precisely that it ensures you keep pushing until you do achieve something. You simply never know when that will happen. “If it doesn’t work, you have learned something again and simply try again. It is a learning process, and the goal is not just to win races, but also to win championships. If we do not win both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, we are simply not satisfied. There is doubt about everything we do, but that has nothing to do with whether we doubt our ability to achieve something.” Waché also points to the bigger challenge every team faces when trying to find its way back to the top. He emphasises that staying ahead of the competition consistently is more difficult than simply keeping an organisation together. Nevertheless, he says that this kind of change is part of the process. “It is difficult to keep things the same. A winning organisation is always dynamic, I think. Change comes from the ambition of people within the team, but also from the development of those same individuals and from having young people who want to grow. “It is certainly difficult, but it is not the toughest challenge. Winning in a field with this level of competition is clearly difficult; it is simply very hard to beat a competitor. But as difficult as it is, that is what makes the sport so fantastic. It is simply not easy. It is perhaps one of the toughest technical competitions in the world, and that is precisely what makes it so difficult, because you have to come up with better ideas than the competition.” [racingnews365.nl/red-bull-bl…]