Author Archives: PressBox

Red Bull left Baku believing the Azerbaijan Grand Prix had been its best chance to win in the 2026 Formula 1 season, and Max Verstappen said the team had “messed it up” after finishing 0.196 seconds behind the winner. Red Bull had brought its final major RB22 upgrade package to the race, with a new floor and revised sidepods, and the changes improved the car’s balance and race pace, especially on soft tires. Verstappen said the car felt strong in Baku, but lingering problems with degradation and power-unit deployment were still costing lap time.

Verstappen also said Red Bull’s prospects would get harder if Mercedes delivered on an expected upgrade. George Russell said Mercedes has upgrades coming soon and expects them to be a good step forward starting around the Bahrain Grand Prix. Verstappen said a successful Mercedes update would make Red Bull’s fight for its first 2026 win even more difficult, and that some limitations on his car were not fixable this year and needed work for next season.

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said Baku was likely the squad’s most favorable circuit for a victory, but he also said the team’s race pace suggested there could still be a couple more chances before the end of the year. Mekies said the remaining races matter for learning ahead of 2027. A winless season would be notable for Red Bull and Verstappen, who have not gone through one since 2015.

Sergio Perez said Formula 1’s 2026 cars are “too dangerous” and warned that “something bad is going to happen soon” unless the power-unit rules change. He said he nearly had a major collision with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson in Baku, blaming the near-miss on differences in engine deployment and power that create unsafe closing speeds.

Perez said the current energy-management gap makes the cars inconsistent and dangerous, and he said Cadillac is putting him and teammate Valtteri Bottas in risky situations because the team is using Ferrari engines for now. He said the speed gap between the leading power units and the rest of the field is a safety risk, and he wants the performance difference reduced.

Formula 1 and the FIA have already responded to early-season concerns after Oliver Bearman’s heavy crash at the Japanese Grand Prix, with rule changes made in April to reduce the problem. Perez said further changes for 2027, including lowering the electrical power share from 47% to 42%, should help, and more engine adjustments are planned for 2028. In Baku, Perez finished 14th and failed to get Cadillac into Q2, while Bottas crashed out on the penultimate lap at Turn 15 after a systems issue, leaving the team without a point this season. Perez also said he remained pessimistic about the upcoming race at Sepang.

Sebastian Vettel said he was open to returning to Formula 1 in some capacity after retirement, but stressed that he was not actively seeking a role and was not speaking to any teams about a comeback. He made the comments on BBC’s Chequered Flag podcast after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Vettel said he was enjoying life as a family man and spending time running a small farm at home. He said he still followed Formula 1 closely from the outside, including watching races, and remained interested in the sport’s future, especially its 2026 regulations, its 2030 net-zero goal and wider sustainability issues.

He said the sustainability projects he had worked on in recent years were still important to him and could shape what he does next. Vettel has previously been linked with a return to Le Mans after testing a Porsche Hypercar, and he recently drove Michael Schumacher’s 2002 Ferrari in a demonstration run at the Italian Grand Prix.

Isack Hadjar returned to Red Bull in Baku after missing three races with a wrist injury and finished third in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his second podium of the Formula 1 season. He qualified fourth, said the time away from racing gave him a clearer view of Red Bull’s car development, and felt recent upgrades had improved the car’s through-corner balance and braking, even if it still lagged Mercedes in some areas. Baku was his first drive since Budapest in late July, after misses in Zandvoort, Monza and Madrid.

Hadjar took a cautious approach on the Baku street circuit and said the third-place finish was a result he could not have done much better than. He said the podium felt more meaningful than his Monaco result because it came from a clean weekend and genuine pace, and he expects it to lift his confidence in the races ahead. Mekies said Hadjar felt no pain in the car and built speed steadily through the weekend.

The race also brought a team-orders flashpoint between Hadjar and Max Verstappen. Hadjar asked to be waved past Verstappen because he believed he had stronger pace and wanted to chase Oscar Piastri, but Red Bull kept both cars in position until a safety car altered the strategy. After the pit stops, Verstappen took soft tires and Hadjar mediums, a choice that gave Verstappen the advantage as he pulled away to fight George Russell for the win. Team principal Laurent Mekies called Hadjar’s weekend outstanding, praised his calm radio communication and emotional control, and said his performance backed Red Bull’s confidence in extending his contract through 2027.