Baku breakdown

Baku, Azerbaijan (AFP) — Only the very best drivers perform without being upset by the elements or the pressure in a street circuit race, as Max Verstappen demonstrated while others struggled at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The four-time champion’s masterful 67th victory on the unforgiving Baku track on Sunday confirmed that, with a second successive win, he not only remains a serious threat in the drivers’ championship, but Red Bull has recovered their pace and poise.

Two months after the shock exit of long-serving boss Christian Horner, a seemingly calmer Red Bull team has recovered its mojo thanks to an update introduced at Monza — and a revitalized Verstappen is the man in form.

Two straight wins in Italy and Azerbaijan, the first time he has enjoyed a double since June 2024, have lifted him to within 69 points of McLaren’s series leader Oscar Piastri with seven Grands Prix to go.

New team chief Laurent Mekies’ softer and more technical style of management is reaping rewards and improving Red Bull’s chances of retaining their star driver beyond 2026.

“Red Bull introduced a new floor at Monza,” said rival team boss Andrea Stella of McLaren.

“They are setting up slightly differently and have unlocked performance, so I would not be surprised if they continue this streak.”

“They are a serious contender to win races and a very serious contender in the drivers’ championship.”

Verstappen’s “grand slam” of pole, winning, fastest lap, and leading every lap was his sixth and drew him level with seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton behind Jim Clark, who achieved eight such feats.

His six poles this year are also the most by any driver.

“I need to be perfect on my side and have lots of luck,” said the Dutchman. “Let’s see what happens in Singapore.”

Despite a flash of speed in practice, when Hamilton topped the times, Ferrari once again were victims of their own mistakes and remain an unpredictable team trapped in transition.

Fastest on Friday in a Ferrari 1-2, Hamilton finished Sunday eighth and apologized to team-mate Charles Leclerc for failing to allow him by after receiving a team order. “I misjudged it,” said the Briton, who was mystified by Ferrari’s poor decisions and loss of pace.

“We were slow,” said the 40-year-old. “Ultimately, it’s a disappointing result. After P2, I felt so good in the car. I think we went in the wrong direction with the car, but our ultimate pace was just not on a par with the guys up ahead of us.”

In a critical and extraordinary qualifying session, Hamilton complained that he was on the wrong tyres, leading to his exit in Q2, while Leclerc, bidding for a fifth straight Baku pole, crashed.

“Operationally, we could have done a much better job,” Hamilton said. “It’s something we need to work on.”

Leclerc’s dismal weekend continued after the race when his flight home to Nice was diverted to Genoa, in Italy, where he and Carlos Sainz, his former team-mate who finished third for Williams on Sunday, hired a van to drive home to Monte Carlo with Sainz at the wheel and Leclerc filming their adventure for social media.

Despite feeling so poorly that he considered withdrawing on Friday, George Russell finished second for Mercedes, a result that lifted them beyond Ferrari and into second place in the teams’ title race behind runaway leaders McLaren.

Russell’s drive, like that of Sainz, was a masterpiece in error-free concentration that contrasted with the feats of the McLaren men on a weekend when seven drivers crashed in a qualifying session beset by a record six red-flag stoppages.

Series leader Piastri proved himself human, too, by crashing in the opening lap to end a run of 34 successive points-scoring finishes while title rival and team-mate Lando Norris failed to convince and finished seventh, trimming his deficit to 25 points.

After being bitten in Baku, McLaren left their champagne on ice, hoping that they could clinch a second consecutive constructors’ championship in Singapore.