Verstappen upbeat despite one-lap pace deficit in Baku

Max Verstappen struck a positive tone after Friday practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, even as he admitted Red Bull still has work to do in sharpening its one-lap pace.

The Dutchman ended FP1 in seventh and FP2 in sixth, running up to six tenths adrift of Ferrari’s pace-setting Lewis Hamilton.

With teammate Yuki Tsunoda pipping him in the morning session, the reigning world champion looked outside the leading fight – but later insisted the underlying feeling with the RB21 was encouraging.

“Still a bit short on one flying lap”

“It didn’t go wrong,” Verstappen commented. “The car feels good, which is positive. We’ve found a stable balance on this rather specific track. That’s what you need.

“Everything has to come together to drive a good lap. We’re still a bit short on one flying lap; there’s still more to be gained from the car and myself.”

The challenge has been compounded by Pirelli’s new-for-Baku C6 compound, which Verstappen acknowledged has been particularly fragile across the city’s high-speed streets.

“Hopefully, that will go a bit better tomorrow,” he continued. “The long run felt fine. It’s always slippery here and hard on the tyres with the softer compounds, but that didn’t go wrong.

“I expect a few teams to be close together, and then it all comes down to driving a perfect lap.”

Marko also Confident in Red Bull Race Pace

While Verstappen kept expectations measured, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko was more bullish about the team’s prospects.

“The long runs, we are promising,” Marko said. “I think we are in a position to fight on the front. On the qualifying lap, we must find one tenth, one tenth and a half. But that’s possible with fine-tuning.

“I think we can prove here that it [Monza] was not a one-off event. I believe we will be top three tomorrow in qualifying, and that means we can also fight in the race for the win.

“So the momentum goes. The car has a wider window, and it’s easier to set up. So that definitely is a step forward.”

With Red Bull showing encouraging signs in race trim, Verstappen’s focus will be on fine-tuning the RB21 for qualifying in FP3 to secure a strong grid position.

On a circuit where overtaking is possible but track position is crucial, the Dutchman’s ability to extract that extra tenth could make all the difference.

Azerbaijan Grand Prix Free Practice 2 - Results

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