Verstappen sees Baku as Red Bull’s best chance of a 2026 win

Max Verstappen says Red Bull let its best chance of a Formula 1 victory in 2026 slip away at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. He finished 0.196 seconds behind the winner in Baku, though he felt the narrow margin was somewhat misleading because of Valtteri Bottas’s crash and an issue with George Russell’s boost.

Ronald Vording reported Verstappen’s assessment for Autosport on 29 September. Baku was also where Red Bull introduced what Autosport describes as its final significant upgrade package for the RB22, including a new floor and revised sidepods. Both drivers felt the changes helped them at that circuit.

Verstappen expects winning to become harder if a Mercedes upgrade due in Malaysia works as intended. He said Red Bull would nevertheless keep pursuing any opportunity.

Mekies agreed that Baku probably suited Red Bull’s car better than any other circuit, but told Autosport its race pace gave him hope of another couple of opportunities before the end of the season. He said the tougher races ahead would also help the team learn for 2027.