Grand slam in Baku confirms Verstappen’s title threat
Max Verstappen delivered a flawless Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, securing back-to-back pole positions at the Baku City Circuit and converting from the front with fastest lap while leading every tour — the sixth grand slam of his career. The result sliced his deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to 69 points, with 199 still available across seven races and three sprints.
McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had already answered “YES” in capital letters when asked if Verstappen remained a title contender. Baku, he argued, merely underlined the point.
“I said ‘yes’ in capital letters. This just confirms it,” Stella said. “We’re talking about Max Verstappen, we’re talking about Red Bull. We saw in Monza that they improved… They were fast in the corners, medium-speed and low-speed corners, and fast in the straights. And we know that Max, when he has a competitive car, can deliver strong weekends.”
McLaren’s bruising weekend — and why it could help
For McLaren, the visit to Baku proved costly. Piastri crashed in qualifying and retired on the opening lap after locking up into the barriers, his first DNF of the season. Lando Norris, unable to make headway in conditions where DRS offered limited effect, finished seventh. That left Piastri’s lead intact at 25 points over Norris — and 44 over Verstappen — but represented a missed chance to capitalize.
Former F1 driver David Brabham believes the setback could act as a necessary reset.
“It all kind of fell apart [for McLaren] in Baku, obviously in tricky conditions,” Brabham noted. “But look at someone like Max, who again did a flawless example of what a world champion is like.”
“Is that the pressure… building to the point where it has to have like a pop-off valve to release the pressure and readjust for the rest of the season?” he added. “It could be seen as a blessing in some way… and refocus for the rest of the season.”
Stella anticipates a stronger platform at the next round: “We knew Baku would be a difficult circuit for us, so we will see now in Singapore, which is a track on which we should perform well. Hopefully, we can go back to fighting for victories.”
The title picture after Baku
- Verstappen cuts the gap to Piastri to 69 points with 199 remaining.
- Piastri retains a 25-point cushion over Norris despite DNF.
- Red Bull pace trend looks improved since Monza; McLaren targeting a rebound in Singapore.
Baku’s contrasting fortunes — Verstappen’s command versus McLaren’s missteps — set up a compelling run-in. If Red Bull’s momentum persists and McLaren’s reset works, the final seven rounds could deliver a tight three-way narrative: Verstappen’s charge, Piastri’s response, and Norris’s hunt.
