Max Verstappen claimed that the 0.196-second gap to George Russell at the Baku City Circuit finish line was slightly misleading. According to him, the true margin was over a second because Russell suffered a turbo issue when the yellow flag waved at Turn 15. "Of course, it looked close on the line, but I think that was more because George suffered from a little bit of boost lag in Turn 15 with the yellow flag," Verstappen said. "So if you look at the last stint, it was always one second, so that’s probably also where we would have finished."
Russell himself confirmed the theory. After lifting off for Valtteri Bottas’ crash, the Mercedes power unit did not immediately deliver the expected acceleration. "When the yellow flag came out, I lifted off the power and when I went back on, I had no turbo, so then I had no power," Russell explained. "Max almost got me at the line. That would have been a real shame, but all in all, it’s been an incredible weekend."
Verstappen also believes the outcome of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix would have been the same had he started from the front row. On Friday, he concluded that Red Bull had "done a great job messing up" its best chance of a victory this year with the engine problem. However, 24 hours later, he believed the closing stages would have played out more or less the same way. "I think even if I started second, with the pace of George, it would have been very hard to pass," he admitted.
Despite missing out on the win, Verstappen said he enjoyed the closing stages in Baku. This was one of the rare times he truly enjoyed racing in 2026, given the shortcomings of the technical regulations. "I have to say that those last laps were very enjoyable because there was barely any deg. We were just pushing to the end and the gap was always, like, one second or 1.1. That was nice," he added.
The race in Baku delivered tension until the final lap. Russell, who started from eighth, was predicted to face huge pressure from Verstappen, and that proved to be the case. Nevertheless, Verstappen had to settle for second with a narrow margin, while Russell took home the victory. This result tightens the battle in the drivers' standings, with Verstappen still trailing his rivals.
From a technical standpoint, the turbo issue Russell experienced shows how sensitive the Mercedes power unit is to sudden changes. The Bottas incident that triggered the yellow flag was a decisive factor that nearly changed the race outcome. Red Bull themselves are still struggling with engine reliability, which has been their main obstacle this season. Verstappen hopes the team can quickly resolve the issue to compete more consistently in the remaining races.
With this result, Russell strengthens his position at the top of the standings, while Verstappen must keep chasing. The next race will be a test for Red Bull to bounce back and harness their car's potential. If the engine problems can be solved, it's not impossible for Verstappen to return to winning ways. But for now, he must accept that Baku was not his.
Baca Juga
Flavio Briatore mengkritik keras Franco Colapinto usai insiden di GP Azerbaijan yang menyingkirkan Pierre Gasly dan Lando Norris. Alpine kehilangan poin berharga.
Max Verstappen sebut selisih 0,196 detik di Baku menyesatkan karena George Russell alami masalah turbo. Simak analisis lengkapnya di Sportrik.
Insiden tabrakan Lawson dan Lindblad di GP Azerbaijan berakhir tanpa sanksi. Simak penjelasan steward dan reaksi kedua pembalap Racing Bulls.
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