Verstappen receives the confirmation he wanted from Red Bull in Baku

Verstappen finished the first free practice session in second behind George Russell and ended the second session in third place, behind both Mercedes drivers. During the opening phase of FP2 he traded the top spot several times with Russell and Lando Norris. Although he complained about the rear of his car over the radio, satisfaction prevailed afterwards.

“It was actually a pretty good day,” Max said after the second free practice in Baku. “I’m pretty happy with the car. We’ll have to fine tune a few things and try to find some more lap time. But in general, it’s been a good start with the updates behaving the way we expected.” The Austrian team expects this will be the last major package in Baku, as they will shift their focus to developing the 2027 car.

Verstappen's increased comfort in the car could be linked to Red Bull developing a better understanding of its characteristics. The four-time world champion explained ahead of FP2 that the team now understands the car somewhat better, although he believes its underlying race pace has remained largely unchanged over the past seven races.

He noted that Red Bull has generally been the fourth-fastest team, but strong qualifying performances, well-timed opportunities during races and effective strategy calls have allowed the team to score more podiums than expected. Verstappen also pointed to some good fortune, with rivals making mistakes or encountering problems.

Verstappen’s words sound very promising for the rest of the weekend, especially looking toward qualifying day. On a street circuit it’s often difficult to overtake, so a good starting position for Saturday’s Grand Prix is certainly desirable. Verstappen also showed a strong race simulation during the second free practice in Baku. With an average lap time of 1:48.119 he was only 0.159 seconds slower than George Russell and faster than both the McLaren and Ferrari drivers.

That pace gives him a shot at fighting at the front. For now, however, Mercedes holds the best cards: Russell ran on medium tires, while Verstappen used the softer softs. The comparison also calls for caution, as Verstappen’s interrupted run yielded only four usable laps. Differences in fuel load, engine modes, and tire age can also affect the times.

Red Bull therefore still has to show that it can maintain this pace over a full race stint. In particular, the combination of getting out of the slow corners well and having enough speed on the long straight will be crucial.