Verstappen claimed his sixth win of the 2025 season under the lights on the Strip and finished ahead of both Mercedes entries, while a dramatic double disqualification for McLaren handed the Dutchman a major lift in the title race.
He now trails the championship leader by just 24 points with three rounds remaining.
But Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has said the paddock should not assume the form from Nevada will carry into Qatar, especially with a sprint weekend and extreme circuit differences coming into play.
“We do what we always say we are doing. We take it race by race,” Mekies told reporters. “A win is a win. It’s easy to forget how difficult it is to win. You need to get everything right, and that’s how we look at it.
“You can’t imagine a more different situation in Qatar compared to Las Vegas. Everything is the opposite. We will reset and try to nail the weekend.”
Verstappen’s Las Vegas triumph marked his fourth victory in the last seven races, a run that has turned Red Bull’s season around after a difficult start. Mekies has said the 28-year-old is now operating at a level comparable to the greatest peaks Formula 1 has witnessed.
“In terms of driving and what he does, I think he’s as good or better than everything we have seen,” Mekies said. “We know we have suffered in the first part of the season. The guys have been doing an amazing job in turning around the car, and now that he’s able to fight again for the win, he does masterclass after masterclass.”
The 2025 Qatar Grand Prix will take place on Sunday 30 November over 57 laps of the 5.380-kilometre Losail International Circuit just outside Lusail, with the sprint scheduled for Saturday.
