Verstappen points to setup issues for qualifying struggles in Baku

BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has attributed his underwhelming qualifying performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to a car setup miscalculation, which made his Red Bull difficult to handle on the Baku City Circuit.

Verstappen, who currently leads the drivers' championship, managed only the sixth-fastest lap in Saturday's qualifying session, marking the first time this season he has been out-qualified by his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Pérez, who took fourth.

Reflecting on the session, the three-time world champion said a setup change between final practice and Q1 drastically impacted his car’s behavior on track.

"As soon as I went out in Q1, the first lap, I just felt the car took a step back after we made some changes," Verstappen admitted. "The car became incredibly unpredictable, difficult, just because of the changes that we made."

Verstappen expressed disappointment with the team’s decision, acknowledging that the alterations had pushed the car’s limits beyond its optimal performance range. "I'm a bit disappointed with that as you always try to optimize things and make it better. Unfortunately, I think we just tipped it over the edge. A shame that happened in qualifying."

The Dutchman added that the car’s handling made it difficult to fully attack the street circuit’s tricky corners. "I never felt comfortable as the car was difficult. So when you're not comfortable, you can't attack corners, you're a bit under in it."

This qualifying setback comes on the heels of another frustrating race in Italy two weeks ago, where Verstappen finished sixth. In Monza, he remarked that the team’s changes had turned his car into "a monster."

Verstappen said that while recent upgrades to the car’s floor have helped balance the Red Bull, the specific changes made for Baku to extract more performance ultimately backfired.

"We did improve the car [with the upgrade] but now with the setup we tried to perfect it, make a few things better, but unfortunately it went the other way. We changed some things around and the car started jumping around a lot and you lose the [tyre's] contact patch with the tarmac."

Despite losing 16 points from his championship lead over the last two races to McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen still holds a comfortable 62-point advantage going into Sunday’s race. Norris, however, starts from a lowly 17th on the grid, something Verstappen said hadn’t influenced his own approach to the weekend.

"But I still want to do well myself," Verstappen stated. "And today was a bad day."

Verstappen will be looking to recover from his qualifying struggles and secure valuable points in Sunday’s race, as the battle for the championship continues.

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