News Made Clear · Loading…
Max Verstappen rose from eighth to second in Azerbaijan, with Isack Hadjar third. Red Bull’s team principal pointed to power-unit management and car improvements.
Review information is loading.
Max Verstappen finished second in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix after starting eighth following a troubled final qualifying session. His Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar took third, giving the team its first double podium in almost two and a half years. [1]
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, quoted by Autosport, pointed partly to the way the team managed its power unit. He said it works best within a narrow operating range, making energy deployment important on Baku’s long straights. Mekies said a new engine helped Verstappen return to the pace Red Bull had expected for the race; he believed the Dutchman could have challenged for the front row or better without the qualifying issue. [1]
Straight-line speed was also evident at sister team Racing Bulls, which uses the same engines: Liam Lawson recorded 349.4 km/h at the race speed trap. Verstappen and Hadjar were both among the ten fastest drivers recorded there. [1]
Mekies also credited improvements made over recent races and suggested upgrades in Baku had provided a further edge. He said Red Bull would have to see whether that gain carried over to other circuits. [1]
1 listed sources · explore evidence, limitations and provenance.
Sign in to give this article a thumbs up or down.
Private test discussion. Comments are readers’ views and are not yet automatically fact-checked. Editing is available for 60 seconds after posting.
Sign in with a confirmed reader account and choose a username to read comments and participate.
Sorting applies to top-level comments; replies remain oldest first. New comments and likes can change the order. Refresh for the current ranking.
Loading comments…