"Excellent work ruining it" – Why Max Verstappen believes that Baku presented Red Bull's prime opportunity for victory.

When Motorsport.com relayed Russell's comments to Verstappen in the Baku paddock, he smiled and responded: "That’s good, if he thinks that way!”

"But on a serious note, they are really quick. So I think they might be a bit too strong for us, although I’m going to give everything to fight for the podium, of course."

Despite Mercedes’ speed at the Baku City Circuit, Verstappen is unequivocal: in his opinion, this weekend represented Red Bull’s prime opportunity to win a grand prix in 2026.

"They [Mercedes] are obviously getting an upgrade next week in Malaysia, so this was the chance to win. And we’ve certainly done a great job messing up that chance," Verstappen conveyed to the Dutch media in Baku.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

When asked if Baku would typically be the sole opportunity during the upcoming race weekends, Verstappen replied: "Well, I’m sure Mercedes can do even more with that upgrade. They are already faster now, so it will become really difficult. Of course I never give up. I try again every weekend, but we have to be realistic."

With Red Bull having already deployed its final significant upgrade of the year and Mercedes set to follow suit in Malaysia, Verstappen believes a remarkable performance in Baku was within reach.

However, consistently avoiding issues is also part of the challenge, and Verstappen concluded after exiting the car that Red Bull does not deserve this outcome either.

"I felt good in the car and I was really on top of it all weekend," he stated. "Look, maybe it wasn’t as quick as Mercedes, but that has been the case all season. But I was in a good place and of course it’s frustrating when you can’t demonstrate it."

Nonetheless, Verstappen managed to maintain perspective. Yes, he desires to clinch a race victory in 2026 to avoid his first winless year since 2015, and yes, Baku was a chance to achieve that, but all the challenges are less painful since he is not in the title battle.

"I was extremely frustrated in the car. I can also remain very frustrated now, but there’s nothing I can do about it anyway," Verstappen acknowledged.

"The entire weekend was going really well. And then when it matters, you face an engine problem. That really sucks. And if you want to contend at the front as a team, those things can’t occur. But yeah, they do happen, and that also encapsulates our season a bit."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

With those final remarks, Verstappen alludes to the fact that he has faced numerous setbacks this year. The Dutch driver has previously noted that something seems to go wrong at Red Bull every weekend and that he will need to spend the winter break like a Buddhist in Tibet to find calm.

However, Verstappen essentially views his ongoing irritation over bad luck as a positive sign – an indication that his passion for F1 remains intact.

"I'm genuinely frustrated by it, and that shows I still care a lot. Of course, I could also say, who cares about this season, I’m not in the championship fight anyway. But yeah, I still care a lot. I always strive to get the maximum out of it, and when that isn’t feasible, it’s still very frustrating."

Frustrating will also be the sentiment if Verstappen finds himself on the podium on Saturday, as he will likely feel that even more was achievable.

"Yes, that depends on how the entire race unfolds and what our pace is like. But imagine we’re the fastest on track and you finish third or second… Yeah, then I’ll be frustrated because there would have been more in it."

Finally, a silver lining is that the upgrade package in Baku is performing as Verstappen had anticipated.

"That was a decent step, yeah. But for next year, if you really want to compete, we need to make a much bigger leap. And that applies to everything: the car, the power unit, everything.” When it is pointed out that Red Bull cannot do much to the power unit without an ADUO token, Verstappen concludes: "That’s true, but of course we can still fine-tune things."