Verstappen hopes new rule can propel title charge

Max Verstappen returns to the scene of his maiden Formula One victory chasing his fourth consecutive Spanish success this weekend with his Red Bull team hoping a rule change will end McLaren's supremacy.

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The four-time world champion triumphed on his Red Bull debut as a teenager at the Circuit de Catalunya in the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix and will hope another win, his fifth in Spain, will propel him into the thick of the title race.

The 27-year-old Dutchman is 25 points adrift of championship leader Oscar Piastri and 22 behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris, who their rivals believe could be hampered by the introduction of strict front wing flexibility tests.

"It's a significant change," said Red Bull boss Christian Horner of the requirement for much stiffer front wings.

"There will be some effect and, of course, the teams have anticipated this so it may well be neutral. Or it may affect tyre degradation. It doesn't make life easier!"