Max Verstappen on Red Bull's Baku Upgrades: "I'm Pretty Happy"
If you're Max Verstappen's opponent and you see him coming out of two practice sessions in good spirits, you should be feeling close to terrified right now.
After Free Practice 1 and 2 at the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Verstappen was feeling positive, saying that their car's upgrades are "working well." He was "pretty happy" with the RB26, and emphasized that they could fight for at least a podium place on Saturday.
Verstappen set the second-fastest lap in FP1, and then settled for third in FP2. Interestingly, he only trailed the Mercedes drivers through the first two practice sessions. It's a good indication of where Red Bull is at, especially in comparison to other frontrunners like McLaren and Ferrari.
So, where exactly did Red Bull focus their upgrades for this race in the streets of Baku?
Red Bull brought in five upgrades to Baku
Red Bull delivered a package of four performance-related and one reliability-focused upgrade to boost Verstappen and Isack Hadjar's performance at Baku.
Here's a quick list of their reported Baku upgrades:
- Revised floor and diffuser geometries for local load (performance-related)
- Revised split line to the floor for local load (performance-related)
- Revised cooling louvres for reliability
- Revised mirror geometry for flow conditioning (performance-related)
- Revised halo fairing geometry for flow conditioning (performance-related)
Even Hadjar, who is returning from a three-race injury layoff, had positive things to say about the RB26. Save for a gearbox issue that limited his runs on Thursday, Hadjar said that the car actually "feels stronger" than what he drove back in the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache said that Verstappen and Hadjar reported "good feedback" about the RB26's balance and upgrades.
We know it's just two practice sessions, but the signs point toward a good week for Verstappen, Hadjar, and company.
Can Verstappen continue his podium streak?
Verstappen has been on the podium in five of the last seven races (the two exceptions were DNFs). When the Dutchman crosses the finish line, he has placed at least P3 recently.
And with the way he's liking the upgrades so far, Verstappen has every opportunity to get another podium finish.
Plus, he'll be extra motivated to continue his strong form at Baku. He has won two of the last four races here, including last year when he dominated the whole weekend, qualifying for pole, leading every lap, setting the fastest lap, and winning the race.
