Max Verstappen has labelled Baku as Red Bull's best opportunity to win in F1 2026, but admitted his team failed to capitalise on it. The Dutchman even stated that Mercedes' upcoming upgrade will make the challenge even greater.
Despite this, Verstappen came remarkably close to victory in Baku, finishing 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 tyres.
That performance was aided by the upgrade package introduced in Baku, including a new floor and revised sidepods. According to both drivers, the upgrade delivered the hoped-for improvements. Isack Hadjar expressed 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 in terms of through-corner balance this weekend, from lap one in FP1, I was like, 'Okay, this is looking pretty good',” he said.
Hadjar also noted that the car's handling on the brakes was a step better than in Budapest. “We’re definitely lacking compared to Mercedes in terms of the power unit, but in terms of handling, the car was definitely a step better,” he added. Verstappen shared that view and 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 it probably felt a little bit more together balance-wise,” Verstappen said.
However, Verstappen stressed 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. “There is just free lap time in that. That’s what we are working on. But the performance items, they worked well and we’ve been fairly happy all weekend with what I had from the car,” he explained.
With the season still long, Verstappen remains cautious about Mercedes' upcoming upgrade. “Their upgrade will make things even more difficult for us. But we are not giving up. We will keep working hard to fix our weaknesses and maximise every opportunity,” he concluded.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies still takes hope from the race pace in Baku. “We showed that we can compete at the front. This gives us motivation for the next races. We know where our weaknesses are and we will continue to develop,” Mekies said.
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