MORE PROBLEMS FOR VERSTAPPEN IN BAKU QUALIFYING
Max Verstappen was left frustrated after a difficult qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver had looked very strong throughout the weekend and topped FP3, but a power unit problem affected his performance from the start of qualifying.
Verstappen said the engine was already losing around half a second compared with teammate Isack Hadjar on the long straights in Q1. Red Bull tried to make changes to the car, but the situation did not improve. The problem later became worse, with Verstappen explaining that the internal combustion engine was not working properly.
The biggest issue came in Q3. During his middle run, Verstappen was told that the battery was not charging properly. The lack of energy forced him to abort the lap, which meant his tyres lost temperature before his final attempt. At a circuit like Baku, where grip and tyre temperature are especially important, this made it much harder to set a competitive lap.
Verstappen also reported unusual engine braking during the lap. He said that in some corners it felt like “pulling the handbrake”, making the car difficult to control under braking. The Red Bull driver said that something was seriously wrong with the car after the problems continued throughout the session.
The final result was eighth place with a time of 1:44.081, around 1.5 seconds slower than George Russell’s pole position time. Charles Leclerc qualified second, Oscar Piastri third and Hadjar fourth, meaning Verstappen was four places behind his teammate on the grid.
The result was particularly frustrating for Red Bull because Verstappen had topped FP3 before qualifying. The team had also introduced an upgrade for the Baku weekend, and Verstappen had said the car felt good during the earlier sessions.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed that the power unit issue became worse as qualifying progressed. He said the problem affected not only straight-line speed but also energy deployment and tyre preparation, describing eighth place as damage limitation.
Despite starting only eighth, Verstappen remained confident that Red Bull had the race pace needed to fight for a strong result.
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