Max Verstappen came closer to his first victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season than at any previous race in Baku, finishing just one tenth of a second behind Azerbaijan Grand Prix winner George Russell. The four-time world champion believes Red Bull’s medium-tyre stint compromised much of his race, although a late Safety Car and strong pace on the soft compound ultimately allowed him to challenge for victory until the final metres.
The Baku City Circuit proved particularly well suited to the RB22, and Max Verstappen combined that opportunity with a strong drive to take the fight to a Mercedes W17 that has so far dominated the championship. The Safety Car triggered by Alexander Albon helped close the gap to the leading positions, but Max Verstappen then overtook Oscar Piastri at the first restart before putting sustained pressure on George Russell all the way to the chequered flag.
Max Verstappen says medium tyre compromised Red Bull in Baku
After the race, Max Verstappen reflected positively on Red Bull’s performance but admitted the opening stint had been difficult.
“We had a good race. The first stint was probably a little difficult on the medium tyres. But we still managed to recover to third place. For a large part of the race we were on the wrong tyre, because unfortunately the medium didn’t work as I think many expected.”
Max Verstappen spent much of the first half of the race stuck behind Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. Differences in energy deployment also prevented the Red Bull driver from getting into a realistic position to attempt an overtake on the Australian.
The situation changed when Alexander Albon’s Williams accident triggered the Safety Car and brought the field back together. Max Verstappen took full advantage at the restart, passing Oscar Piastri into Turn 1 to move into second place.
“I then had a good restart and immediately moved into second position. Then we were at one second, around one second and one tenth every lap. Once we fitted the reds, you could see that George and I were gaining massively on everyone else.”
George Russell and Max Verstappen pull away on soft tyres
Once the soft tyres were fitted, the final phase developed into a direct contest between Max Verstappen and George Russell. Their advantage over the rest of the field underlined the pace of the leading pair, with the Mercedes W17’s 2026 performance again providing the benchmark Red Bull was trying to match.
George Russell, however, gave Max Verstappen no genuine opportunity to attempt a pass. For most of the stint, the gap remained remarkably stable at roughly one to 1.1 seconds.
“I enjoyed it. Everything was at the maximum, pushing without holding anything back. We were at one second, one second and one tenth. Basically, that was the gap throughout the whole stint.”
Max Verstappen suspects George Russell suffered turbo lag at Turn 15
The situation changed dramatically on the final lap. Valtteri Bottas’s accident and the resulting yellow flags allowed Max Verstappen to begin the final straight only three tenths of a second behind George Russell.
Max Verstappen believes the Mercedes driver may also have suffered an issue exiting Turn 15 that helped bring the Red Bull even closer before the finish line.
“I think he had turbo lag coming out of Turn 15. That’s why we got so close at the finish.”
Despite missing victory by the narrowest margin of Red Bull’s season so far, Max Verstappen was satisfied with second place and the chance to fight at the front until the very end. The result represented an encouraging step for a team that has struggled to produce the same level of consistency as Mercedes during the 2026 campaign.
Max Verstappen still chasing first victory of 2026
Red Bull’s next challenge will be turning its Baku competitiveness into consistent performance across different circuit types. With Mercedes continuing to set the standard and the 2026 Formula 1 championship already taking shape, opportunities to fight for victories remain particularly valuable.
Asked whether Red Bull could still secure a victory before the end of the 2026 season, Max Verstappen remained determined: “We’ll keep trying and we’ll see if it happens.”
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