Max Verstappen pulls off a Baku coup – P2. Team principal Mekies: “A strong statement from Max”

What a race by Max Verstappen! Like a shark that had smelled blood, the Dutchman went on the hunt for his rivals in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix; at times he had to fend off his pesky team-mate Isack Hadjar, and in the end, Super-Max almost secured his 72nd Grand Prix victory. As the chequered flag fell, the four-time world champion was just 0.196 seconds behind the winner, George Russell in his Mercedes, who drove an almost flawless race.

Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies had reason to celebrate not only a magnificent performance from Verstappen, but also a superb display from F1 returnee Isack Hadjar – the Parisian secured his third podium finish in Baku, finishing in P3 just as he did in 2025 at Zandvoort (back then with the Racing Bulls) and in 2026 in Monaco.

The last time two Red Bull Racing cars finished in the top three was in China in 2024, with Max Verstappen taking the win and Sergio Pérez in second place.

Frenchman Mekies reflects: “Actually, the weekend had started well with Max; he was quick right from the first lap. So we had high hopes for qualifying, but unfortunately there were then some problems – a real let-down – meaning that P8 was the best Verstappen could manage.”

“As for Isack, the positive thing is that he felt no pain whilst driving, and his pace was truly impressive. He then built up his rhythm step by step – very clever – and in the race we had two very fast cars. We were the second-strongest team – that’s good news for our staff at the chassis and engine plant in Milton Keynes, who work day and night to provide Max and Isack with a competitive car.”

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“Isack made good progress in the first half of the season; unfortunately, his broken wrist then got in the way. Now he has picked up seamlessly where he left off and certainly delivered one of his best Formula 1 races.”

“And Max? Well, Max is simply Max. We know he’s the strongest driver out there, so it was clear that if there was even the slightest chance of making up places, he’d seize that opportunity. And that’s exactly what he did.”

“I thought it was a strong statement from Max that Russell couldn’t pull away at the end, when both cars were on identical tyres. On the contrary, he had to be incredibly careful not to make a mistake, because otherwise Verstappen would have been right on his tail.”

“We can be proud of this team result, even though I’m well aware, of course, that the Baku circuit layout probably suited our car. On other types of circuit, we’ll need to step it up to secure more podium finishes.”