After the intense 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying, Max Verstappen admitted his frustration with Red Bull’s RB20, describing the car as “incredibly unpredictable”. This critique followed a surprising result in Baku, where Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Perez, out-qualified him for the first time this year, securing fourth place while Verstappen managed only sixth.
“As soon as I went out in Q1, the first lap, I just felt the car took a step back, we made some changes. The car became incredibly unpredictable, difficult. Just because of the changes that we made,” Verstappen said via Motorsport.com. His struggles with the handling of the car persisted throughout the session, culminating in a significant loss of time during Q3, particularly in the last corner where he “lost it.”
Verstappen’s dissatisfaction with the car’s performance is evident.
“You’re a bit disappointed with that as you always try to optimise things and make it better. Unfortunately, I think we tipped it over the edge. A shame that happened into qualifying.”
Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage during qualifying ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan at Baku City Circuit on September 14, 2024 in Baku, Azerbaijan. Max Verstappen finished in P6 for Sunday’s race in Baku.
Dan Mullan/Getty Images
This follows his Monza struggles, where he termed the car a “monster”.
On the other side of the garage, Sergio Perez had a standout performance, setting a time that placed him ahead of the reigning champion. Perez’s pace was consistent throughout qualifying, ultimately securing a fourth-place start, giving him the confidence he needed after a difficult season so far.
Lando Norris, Verstappen’s main title rival, also faced a challenging session, getting knocked out in Q1 due to a yellow flag that forced him to lift and qualifying 17th.
The qualifying session was fraught with action from the outset. In Q1, Perez set the initial fastest time with a 1:43.436 lap. But the biggest surprise was Norris’s early exit. Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Zhou Guanyu, and Esteban Ocon also did not progress past Q1.
Q2 saw Oscar Piastri initially leading with a 1:42.598 before being surpassed by the Red Bull duo. Eliminations included Oliver Bearman, Yuki Tsunoda, Pierre Gasly, Nico Hulkenberg, and Lance Stroll.
Charles Leclerc secured pole position in Q3 with a blistering 1:41.610, followed closely by Oscar Piastri and Carlos Sainz.
“My first run in Q3, I lost it into the last corner,” Verstappen said. “Otherwise, you’re fighting for P2, P3. You still have a run, you can still improve the lap time. I just didn’t have the feeling in the car.
“I never felt comfortable as the car was difficult. If you don’t feel comfortable because the car was difficult, so when you’re not comfortable, you can’t attack corners, you’re a bit under in it.”
He continued:
“We did improve the car but now with the setup we tried to perfect it, make a few things better but unfortunately it went the other way,” he said. “We’re still working on fine-tuning that from now on. Trying to get the balance disconnect more together,” he added.
With eight rounds remaining, Verstappen still leads the championship by 62 points over Norris. But how long will that now last?
