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.

After missing the first three races back from summer break because of a broken hand, Isack Hadjar is back for the race in Baku. Liam Lawson will resume in his Racing Bulls seat, while Yuki Tsunoda will be back on the sidelines as reserve driver.

A few days after an impressive P2 finish at the Spanish Grand Prix, Red Bull's Max Verstappen participated in a one-off "Max vs 100" karting event at Silverstone on September 16. It was a spectacular race that saw Verstappen overtake the entire grid and earn his first racing win in 2026, albeit in a karting event, not in Formula One.

But hey, this should count, right? After all, Verstappen even said at one point yesterday that it wasn't really a charity event. He was joking, of course. But how exceptional was the four-time F1 World Champion's pace in the Max vs 100 karting race?

Hadjar sustained a hand injury over the summer break that has had him unable to race since the Dutch Grand Prix. Hadjar hopes to return to racing by Baku, but for the time being Liam Lawson will stay in the Red Bull and Yuki Tsunoda at Racing Bulls.

The Japanese driver made it into the points in his second race of the season as he fills in for Liam Lawson, while he fills in for Isack Hadjar at Red Bull. 

Liam Lawson has described his first day back behind the wheel of a Red Bull as "interesting." The New Zealander was eleventh in sprint qualifying and missed out on SQ3 despite having shown good potential in the early stages of the session: "Normally, you improve throughout qualifying and we started SQ1 quite strong, but then we didn't make the same step as the others" explained Lawson.

The 24 year old driver was called up on short notice to replace Isack Hadjar at Zandvoort after the Frenchman suffered a wrist injury. Lawson returns to Red Bull after his brief two race stint in 2025, while Yuki Tsunoda took his seat at Racing Bulls: "There's a lot to learn today. So far honestly I feel quite good in the car" he declared.