Max Verstappen celebrates a Red Bull that has improved significantly in race execution, highlighting the areas where Ferrari still lags behind technically. On a challenging Sunday for McLaren, Verstappen delivered a commanding victory, fueling speculation about a possible championship comeback. While it remains early and a formidable challenge lies ahead, it is undeniable that the September iteration of Red Bull has taken a substantial step forward compared to the summer performance.
Verstappen superb, Red Bull showing new strengths
The Baku Grand Prix was a relatively static race with few position changes, largely due to low tire degradation and limited DRS effectiveness, reminiscent of Monza. Max Verstappen faced no difficulties securing his second consecutive victory, managing a solo race that built upon his double magic in Saturday’s qualifying sessions. The simultaneous retirement of Oscar Piastri extended the Dutch driver’s gap to 69 points from the championship lead, raising questions about whether Red Bull’s recent gains could open the door to a title fight.
Securing a fifth world championship remains extremely challenging for the reigning champion, not just because of the points deficit. The recent victories came on two low-downforce circuits, a configuration in which the RB21 is known to perform efficiently. Its competitiveness on a high-downforce, high-tire-degradation circuit like Singapore—McLaren’s traditional stronghold—remains to be evaluated. Nonetheless, the wins demonstrate tangible progress: Monza highlighted Red Bull’s efficiency, while Baku showcased strength on a high-mechanical-grip circuit with numerous slow corners.
The second-place goal in the constructors’ championship is well within reach, supported by points from Yuki Tsunoda, whose second consecutive Q3 qualification underscores the improving drivability of the RB21. This apparent leap forward is not solely due to the new floor introduced at Monza, but also the team’s enhanced understanding of the car’s requirements and how to optimize them through setup, with Verstappen’s feedback heavily considered. The presence of Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s head of trackside engineering, on the podium further confirms the turnaround in setup decisions, showcasing execution at the highest level.
McLaren stumbles again
It was a weekend to forget for McLaren, postponing the anticipated celebrations for the constructors’ title to Singapore. Oscar Piastri was a shadow of himself, first triggering a false start and then crashing into the wall just a few corners later, potentially caught out by tires that hadn’t reached optimal temperature. Lando Norris was unable to capitalize, struggling with medium tires against Yuki Tsunoda on hards, then losing time during pit stops and ultimately getting stuck in a DRS train, compounded by a McLaren once again lacking straight-line speed.
Overall, McLaren’s pace in Baku was lacking, glimpsed only intermittently on Friday and Saturday. The last similar misstep occurred at the Canadian Grand Prix, on a circuit with many parallels to Baku: tight barriers and numerous heavy-braking zones on straight steering. The MCL39 remains a tricky car in these conditions, with braking limits difficult to judge—one of the challenges Norris faced at the start of the season. Even the best car has weaknesses, but McLaren must rebound quickly in Singapore to avoid jeopardizing a drivers’ championship they can only hope to lose.
Sainz shines on Mercedes podium
Like the Canadian Grand Prix, Mercedes returned to the podium on a circuit with comparable characteristics. Unlike McLaren, the Silver Arrows excel in straight-line braking and slow corners, especially when tire overheating is controlled. This is influenced not only by ambient temperature but also by a smooth asphalt surface, low downforce, long straights, and slow corners that generate less heat in the tires. Mercedes climbed to second in the constructors’ standings thanks to George Russell, who reinforced that 2025 is one of his strongest seasons. Russell also beat Matteo Antonelli, who impressed with two fast laps after a pit stop to secure fourth, boosting morale after a challenging period.
Carlos Sainz claimed the podium spot in place of Antonelli, celebrating a third place largely earned through qualifying performance. This represents the best result under James Vowles’ management, with Williams consolidating fifth in the constructors’ standings—a position unimaginable a year ago. The British team has benefited from intensive work to bring the car to minimum weight and optimize the baseline with updates, the last arriving at the end of July, despite focusing resources on the 2026 car. Williams’ closest challenger now is the Italian Racing Bulls, tenth in Baku with Hadjar, but notably fifth with Lawson, achieving his best race of the season.
Ferrari struggles extend beyond the car
Qualifying errors condemned Ferrari to a traffic-laden race with limited overtaking opportunities. Charles Leclerc found himself stuck behind Lawson, hindered by a minor technical issue costing a few kilowatts of power. Lewis Hamilton, meanwhile, showed pace toward the race’s end after falling behind Tsunoda and Norris in the first stint, suggesting a general lack of performance. The prolonged absence of Hamilton from the podium—preceded also by Sainz—appears increasingly attributable to the car’s deficiencies rather than the driver, who is displaying growing harmony with the SF-25.
The SF-25 remains a neutral car—without glaring flaws but also lacking major strengths—unable to replicate past peaks on street circuits. This is not necessarily negative, but indicative of a slow conceptual evolution at Maranello, revising old design principles that for years failed to produce a consistently competitive car throughout the season. Even with updates, the 2025 Ferrari remains overall slower than McLaren and likely also Red Bull.
The technical lag extends beyond the car itself to trackside operations and execution. A recurring pattern is Ferrari starting with inadequate setups, as seen at Zandvoort, or struggling to perfect setup after a strong start, as in Baku’s FP3, then facing chronic difficulties in tire preparation during qualifying. Trackside engineering is therefore another key area for improvement—a domain where Red Bull has found new energy, returning to success with Max Verstappen.
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