McLaren boss claims Max Verstappen led Red Bull “might have unlocked performance” with new floor

Max Verstappen's pole position in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix signals a late-season surge from Red Bull. The chaotic qualifying has drawn the attention of McLaren boss and raised questions about whether the Milton-Keynes outfit has found an edge in the business end of the season.

The Dutchman delivered when it mattered most, despite a session filled with red flags and changing conditions. Coming off a victory from pole at Monza, Verstappen’s form has caught the eye of McLaren team principal Andrea Stella as the Papaya leads both championships. He said after qualifying (via The Race):

"The takeaway from the Monza race, and the way we have reviewed this internally and set our mindset for the final one-third of the races, was that Red Bull’s performance in Monza should not be considered a one-off because of Monza or a one-off because of low downforce. They have taken a new floor in Monza, and they might be setting up their car slightly differently. Now Verstappen is talking about grounding much more than he was doing before, so they might have unlocked performance."

Max Verstappen is still 94 points behind leader Oscar Piastri and 63 behind Lando Norris, who is second, but Stella warned McLaren not to take their rival lightly.

(L-R) Lando Norris, Max Verstappen, and Oscar Piastri at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. Source: Getty

Red Bull’s Monza update included floor tweaks that improved airflow under the car, re-profiled edges for extra local downforce, and trimmed wings for reduced drag. The changes gave Verstappen a stronger platform in low-downforce conditions, and at Baku, Red Bull added another small tweak with a reshaped rear wing element to fine-tune downforce. Taken together, Stella believes these could be the early signs of a genuine turnaround.

"I would not be surprised at all that Red Bull may continue the streak that they have started, because pole position in Monza, victory, and now pole position here. Red Bull are a very serious contender to win races and a very serious contender for the drivers' championship," Stella added.

Even if Max Verstappen wins all the remaining eight races and the three sprint events, he would accumulate 224 points. It would work only if Oscar Piastri earned 130 points or fewer, but even if he finishes third in each race, he’d still reach 138. The door is not closed, but the task is as difficult as it gets.

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Max Verstappen cautious despite Baku pole: "It’s a long race"

Max Verstappen of Oracle Red Bull Racing wins pole in the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan. Source: Getty

Max Verstappen’s road to pole in Baku wasn’t straightforward. Practice had been mixed, with the Dutchman struggling with bouncing and complaining about his car’s balance. He finished seventh in FP1, sixth in FP2, but climbed to second in FP3 on Saturday, two tenths shy of Lando Norris.

Qualifying brought its own drama. Verstappen opened on mediums in Q1 while most of the field opted for softs. He posted a 1:42.210 that initially put him second before red flags interrupted the session, with Alexander Albon, Nico Hülkenberg, and Franco Colapinto among the casualties.

In Q2, he went late, posting a 1:41.255, edging Norris and sending Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, and others out of the session. Then came Q3, where Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri found the wall. When it mattered most, Verstappen produced a purple first sector and clocked a 1:41.117 lap, almost half a second clear of Carlos Sainz.

Speaking after, Max Verstappen played down the hype:

"Again, it’s a long race. You want to have a good start but even then, we just need to do our own race, look after our tyres because it’s still quite tough on the tyres around here because of the softer compounds. We’ll see what happens."

Behind him, Sainz delivered a strong P2, while rookie Liam Lawson surprised with P3. McLaren’s runs were hampered by red flags, leaving both Norris and Piastri chasing. Yuki Tsunoda also enjoyed a better Saturday to qualify P6.

Baku rarely fails to deliver drama, and Sunday promises more of the same.

Edited by Rupesh