Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko says a “different approach” to engineering their car lies behind the surge in form that his catapulted Max Verstappen back into Formula 1 title contention.

The Milton Keynes-based team’s season – which featured the sacking of long-serving and hugely-successful team principal Christian Horner in July to be replaced by Laurent Mekies – had threatened to be heading for an underwhelming finish amid McLaren’s domination of the Constructors’ Championship and Verstappen’s apparent fall out of drivers’ title contention by mid-season.

However, Verstappen is now firmly back in the hunt for a fifth consecutive crown against the McLaren drivers after winning three of the last four races and finishing in the top two of all five events since the August summer break.

He has closed down what was a 104-point deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points with five race weekends left, starting with the Mexico City Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 this weekend.

And Marko, the company’s motorsport advisor, has credited the team’s upturn to a change in approach.

“It’s a different approach from the engineering side, they’re working very well together,” Marko told Sky Sports F1 in Austin.

“They ask the driver what they want.”

Asked more broadly about Verstappen’s role in developing and setting up the car, Marko said: “Very good technical understanding, but it’s more that he tells how he would like to have the car. He has confidence.

“Before, at some of the races, it was a very small margin where the car was working, and he didn’t have the confidence. And now, the car is to his liking and that keeps his confidence, and of course, he delivers with fantastic lap times.”

‘He lost a little bit of interest’ – Marko on how Verstappen rediscovered ‘two tenths’

Before unexpectedly winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza – the scene of Red Bull’s least-competitive showing in 2024 – in early September, reigning four-time world champion Verstappen had gone eight races and almost four months without a Grand Prix victory.

Indeed, heading into the summer break, Verstappen had not finished on the podium for four consecutive races for the first time since 2018 with Red Bull struggling for consistent form with their RB21 car.

Marko, a close confidant of Verstappen, suggested the Dutchman’s interest in the season had actually started to wane amid Red Bull’s struggles but that driving, and ultimately winning, in endurance racing at the Nordschleife in September had a role to play in what has followed.

“Max at one stage when we were not competitive, I would say he lost a little bit of interest,” said Marko.

“He was more interested in GT racing, so to keep him in a good mood, I was talking about Nurburgring and things like that.

“But now that the car is working, and his success at the Nurburgring, I would say two tenths just came from him because he’s really motivated, he’s enjoying, you don’t hear him shouting, he’s smiling – that’s what you need.”

Thursday October 23
9pm: Drivers’ Press Conference
12am: Paddock Uncut (Friday morning)

Friday October 24
7pm: Mexico City GP Practice One (session starts at 7.30pm)
9pm: The F1 Show
10pm: Team Bosses’ Press Conference
10.45pm: Mexico City GP Practice Two (session starts at 11pm)*

Saturday October 25
6.15pm: Mexico City GP Practice Three (session starts at 6.30pm)
9pm: Mexico City GP Qualifying build-up*
10pm: MEXICO CITY GP QUALIFYING*

Sunday October 26
6.30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Mexico City GP build-up*
8pm: THE MEXICO CITY GRAND PRIX*
10pm: Chequered Flag: Mexico City GP reaction

*also on Sky Sports Main Event

Formula 1’s thrilling title race continues at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez for the Mexico City Grand Prix this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime