Red Bull Erases McLaren’s Lead. Mexico Starts at 355–355.

Five races remain, and nothing separates Red Bull and McLaren on points. Verstappen’s podium helped close the gap, but Hadjar’s contribution explains why this fight goes beyond the leading car.

McLaren heads to the Mexican GP with its seven-point advantage gone. Red Bull has drawn level on 355 points, turning the fight for third in the Constructors’ Championship into a direct contest over the final five races.

The official standings now place Red Bull third and McLaren fourth. Ferrari sits 119 points ahead of both, making their immediate battle considerably closer than the next step up the table.

Austin supplied the change. Mexico offers the first chance to break the tie.

Hadjar made the difference in the team total

Max Verstappen’s third place brought Red Bull 15 points in Austin. Lando Norris finished fifth and Oscar Piastri seventh, earning McLaren 16 between them.

On those three results alone, McLaren would have extended its advantage.

Isack Hadjar changed the calculation. His sixth place added eight points, lifting Red Bull’s total to 23 and producing the seven-point gain needed to draw level.

That matters heading into Mexico because Red Bull’s challenge cannot be judged solely by where Verstappen finishes. Hadjar placed between the McLarens in Austin, giving his team a second scoring result strong enough to turn a podium into a championship gain.

McLaren needs both cars in the fight

McLaren scored with both drivers in Austin, yet still lost ground. Its task in Mexico is therefore more demanding than simply bringing two cars home in the points.

Getting both ahead of Hadjar would help. Putting one ahead of Verstappen would change the calculation further.

The points system makes those direct contests particularly valuable. If two opposing cars swap fifth and sixth, the difference between the teams’ scores changes by four points. A swap between third and fourth changes it by six.

With the teams level, a single position traded between them can decide who leaves Mexico ahead.

Five races to separate them

After Mexico come Brazil, Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Neither team has a points cushion entering that run.

Qualifying in Mexico will also shape their strategic options. Keeping both cars close to the opposition gives a team more freedom to respond to pit stops; leaving one driver buried in traffic puts more of the scoring burden on the other.

The useful comparison this weekend is all four cars. Verstappen versus Norris may draw the attention, but Hadjar and Piastri have just as much reason to feature in the calculation for third.