It appears that the Red Bull incident might not be the lowest point yet.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix turns out to be a victory for McLaren and a disappointment for Red Bull. Defending champion Max Verstappen expresses not enjoying the race and has minimal hope for the next race weekend. The situation might worsen.
Initially, the driver favored to excel in Baku was expected to be demoted prior to the trip. McLaren announced that Oscar Piastri would now be supporting title contender Lando Norris. While this decision makes sense for Norris, who has a better chance to catch up with Verstappen, Piastri continues to prove that he is not a number two. In the last seven races, Piastri has secured a strong performance, including a second victory with an impressive maneuver against Charles Leclerc on Sunday. If Piastri maintains his outstanding performance, it will be challenging for McLaren to enforce its planned team order.
McLaren has the potential to win - and it must now
However, this is a luxury problem for McLaren, which has already accomplished much more than anticipated. Last summer, McLaren was among the slower teams, but at the start of this season, it moved to the fourth strongest team - and in Baku, it managed to dethrone Red Bull from the top of the constructors' championship. "We are the top team in Formula 1, it feels good to say that," said Lando Norris, who had reasons to be in high spirits even without a podium finish. Anyone who manages to finish from 15th place to 4th and even overtakes the champion in the end is driving a title-winning car. Norris still needs to make up 59 points on Verstappen, with seven races and three sprints left - a significant triumph is still possible, but consistent wins are now required. The following track in Singapore (22 September) should benefit the team particularly well, putting McLaren under pressure.
Red Bull is facing problems - and has little hope
This is also the case because Red Bull is providing a lot of opportunities for attacks. The champions believed they had come out of the crisis after their disappointing start in September at Monza - but they ultimately collected even fewer points in Baku. This was mainly due to Red Bull not fully understanding its car and not finding a suitable setup for Verstappen. "The car was like a go-kart, one wheel was always in the air during the slow corners," said Verstappen after his fifth place. And the outlook for the following Sunday did not offer him any hope: "I don't think Singapore will be our best race." No, said Verstappen, this weekend in Baku "was no fun."
Perez can't save Red Bull
The other issue with Red Bull is in its second car, which has lagged behind in the team competition for months. While Verstappen was dominating the race, the Mexican driver in the same car appeared to be mid-field material. This disparity has been reduced in recent weeks, and in Baku, Perez could finally state, "See, our car is complicated - now, Max is feeling it too." Perez handled the street circuit better, even scoring a podium position - but yet again, he ended up as the tragic hero. His collision with Carlos Sainz in the Ferrari cost him and the team valuable points, confirming the impression: Red Bull cannot rely on both drivers in its bid for its ambitious goals.
It could get even worse...
Ralf Schumacher suggested a theory on Sunday evening: "I believe Red Bull will only finish third in the Constructors' Championship," said the Sky expert. They now trail McLaren by 20 points and have only a 31-point lead over Ferrari. Ferrari has quietly been gaining ground, and the trend is clear. Leclerc and Sainz have picked up over 30 points in the three races since the summer break, and Ferrari's chances of success in Singapore appear more promising than those of Red Bull.
Ferrari, known for its high-performance vehicles, might capitalize on Red Bull's struggles. With Red Bull's second car consistently underperforming and defending champion Max Verstappen expressing dissatisfaction with his car's performance, Ferrari could potentially make strides in the upcoming races.
Despite McLaren's success in Baku, Ferrari's drivers, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, have been performing exceptionally well, gaining a significant number of points in recent races. This momentum could propel Ferrari to overtake Red Bull in the constructors' championship during the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix.
