Max Verstappen after his 67th win in Baku (Red Bull Racing Twitter)

I’ve probably said it before, but I’ll say it again: Whatever changes Laurent Mekies made to the Red Bull Racing team are working. The RB21 is starting to look less haunted and more… domesticated. Like if it finally found its groove.

And the numbers are certainly showing it. During yesterday’s qualifying, Max Verstappen snagged pole position with a lap time of 1:41.117— almost half a second ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz, with the latter and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson locking out the top three on the grid. Such seems typical for Baku; it’s as much the city of chaos as it is the city of wind— six red flags, a tailwind that pushed everyone into their worst habits, and World Driver’s Championship frontrunners Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri nowhere near the front row.

Take a good look at this qualifying— it’s unlikely to happen again (F1 Twitter)

Verstappen continued to dominate throughout race day. He stayed in first from lights-out to the checkered flag, 14 seconds ahead of second-place. And the icing on top? A fastest lap giving him a Grand Slam— his sixth in five years. It’s like the RB21 finally stopped arguing with him and just did its job, and there’s not much else I can really say about his performance except for, well, congratulations to him (and to his grandma, who saw the win in person for what was apparently her birthday weekend).

Verstappen scored a sixth Grand Slam this weekend with his grandma in attendance (Max Verstappen’s Twitter)

Scoring a solid P2 today was Mercedes’ George Russell, who climbed his way to the podium despite an apparent illness. It was a satisfying end to what seemed like a difficult weekend for the British driver. He skipped media day to rest, then rasped through practice sounding like a pack-a-day tenor.

Despite the setback, Russell managed a solid showing—good enough for P5 during the aforementioned cursed qualifying. He kept his head while the session turned theatrical, putting him in the third row ahead of the McLarens. From there, he drove like a metronome with a fever. He had a clean launch, a tidy first stint that let him work an overcut on Lawson and teammate Kimi Antonelli, and a second stint that kept Sainz safely out of DRS before resetting the pace cap on fresh hards for a no-drama podium finish.

A solid race from Russell despite his illness

Speaking of McLaren, I should probably talk about them before we get to this week's surprise P3. This weekend was clearly one to forget for the World Constructors’ Championship leaders, as well as for the team’s golden pair. Norris and Piastri were far from the front row in P7 and P9, respectively (though to be fair, Piastri couldn’t set a time in Q3 due to a late shunt). It looked like they would need a miracle to even be considered for the podium this week.

But alas, they got… whatever the opposite of a miracle is. Piastri jump-started his race, earning a five-second penalty before striking the turn 5 wall on the first lap— his podium streak snapped in a single frame. Norris was left to salvage, only for a slow pit stop and a DRS-train purgatory to pin him to P7. It felt like karma for a team that’s been bullying Sundays all year long.

A weekend to forget for McLaren (McLaren Twitter)

That cleared the stage for this week’s P3, Williams’ Carlos Sainz. Yes, WILLIAMS stood on the box with their first podium in years, with Sainz even getting voted Driver of the Day. It’s not the most shocking of developments this season— Sainz won four races during his stint at Ferrari. But, it’s a podium that means everything for a former front-rate team.

We must remember what this actually symbolizes for the boys in blue. Their last podium was George Russell’s P2 during a rain-soaked Spa 2021. It was a valid win, but one that’s forever infamous for only lasting three laps.

This, by contrast, was earned the hard way—full distance, dry track, no asterisks. I guess you could consider it Williams’ first true podium since 2017 (which, coincidentally, was also earned in Baku). And for a team that was consistently a championship contender decades ago, it reads as a real-era reset— especially considering the team’s solid performance throughout the season. Maybe that unicorn sticker gifted to Carlos is a lucky charm. But who's to say?

Williams blue, podium red, and the tiniest co-pilot (Williams Twitter(

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is typically the most chaotic of the season, and this year definitely delivered. The difference is where the chaos landed. While Oscar Piastri won last year’s Baku race with a 10-second edge, he jump-started himself into a five-second penalty (and the wall) this year. While Carlos Sainz was taken out in last year’s late-race tangle with Pérez, this year he stood on the box with a Driver of the Day. And while Max only managed P5 last year, he scored a grand slam this year.

That’s the Baku fulcrum: the same streets, different victims and victors, and a narrative that flipped from McLaren inevitability to Williams (and Red Bull) resurgence in one weekend.

Miscellaneous Notes

And now, my random thoughts and observations that didn’t make it into the main piece:

  • A solid score from Kimi Antonelli. The Mercedes driver finished P4 after qualifying in the same position, his best finish since Canada. As an F1 meme Reddit has pointed out, he seems to race better in countries that allow Titanium Dioxide as a food additive. Maybe someone should run a proper experiment.

  • Yuki Tsunoda’s comeback era. Verstappen’s teammate finished P6, his personal best since being promoted to Red Bull Racing. In an interview, Tsunoda said he focused more on keeping Norris and the other drivers behind him at bay to protect Max’s standing. D’awww.

  • Double Bulls, Double Points. Both Racing Bulls drivers also finished in the points today, with Liam Lawson in P5 and Isack Hadjar in P10. A good week to be a fan of the Red Bull teams.

  • A Ferrari footnote. The late Leclerc/Hamilton management call netted them P8/P9 behind Norris; not sexy, but points are points.

    Someone needs to run a proper experiment on this

That’s all for now. See you in a couple weeks for Singapore.

-F

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