Max Verstappen entered the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend believing that the Baku City Circuit was Red Bull's best opportunity to win a race in the 2026 season. However, he also acknowledged that his team had made mistakes that slightly tarnished that chance. "We've done a great job messing it up," he told two Dutch journalists at the Red Bull hospitality on Friday.
A day later, Verstappen came remarkably close to victory. He finished just 0.196 seconds behind George Russell, though he felt the gap was somewhat misleading due to Valtteri Bottas' crash and Russell's boost issue. Nevertheless, Red Bull's race pace was undeniably strong, especially on the soft tires.
This performance boost was partly thanks to the upgrade package introduced by Red Bull in Baku, including a new floor and revised sidepods. According to both drivers, the upgrade delivered what was hoped for. Isack Hadjar, Verstappen's teammate, revealed that the car felt more comfortable, particularly in terms of through-corner balance. "Baku is a very specific track, with specific tarmac, but the way the car was behaving throughout the weekend, from lap one in FP1, I was like, 'Okay, this is looking pretty good'," Hadjar said.
Verstappen shared that view. He felt more confident to attack the corners, which is crucial at a track like Baku. "It's a unique track. It has mainly 90-degree corners, but balance-wise the car felt a bit more together," said the four-time world champion. However, he emphasized that there are still other issues to fix, such as car degradation and deployment on the electrical side of the power unit, which is not optimal compared to Mercedes.
Despite the upgrades from the technical team led by Pierre Wache working well, Verstappen maintains that Baku was Red Bull's best chance to win. But with a major upgrade coming from Mercedes, the challenge for Red Bull will become even greater. Team principal Laurent Mekies remains optimistic about the race pace shown in Baku, but he knows the team must keep working hard to stay competitive.
Red Bull is currently in a difficult position in the championship hunt. With Mercedes' performance continuing to improve, they must maximize every opportunity. Baku may have been the best chance, but it's not completely gone. Verstappen and the team will keep fighting, and we'll see if they can bounce back in the remainder of the season.
Baca Juga
Jadwal F1 Bahrain di Malaysia 2026 berlangsung 2-4 Oktober, dengan Practice, Qualifying dan Race yang seluruhnya digelar dalam waktu WIB.
Max Verstappen sebut Baku sebagai peluang terbaik Red Bull di F1 2026, meski upgrade Mercedes jadi ancaman. Simak analisis lengkapnya.
Max Verstappen sebut Baku peluang terbaik Red Bull di F1 2026, namun upgrade Mercedes jadi ancaman. Simak analisis lengkap dan komentar pembalap.
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