Red Bull star Max Verstappen shares what was ‘unusual’ about his Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen added a 67th Grand Prix victory to his glittering Formula 1 CV at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The race in Baku was the perfect example of Max Verstappen proving to the world that, in the right car, he would likely be winning the drivers’ championship for the fifth time running this year.

Talk in the paddock after Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned to whether the 27-year-old could overturn a 69-point deficit to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri during the final seven race weekends.

Typically, that would be a far-fetched suggestion, but Piastri’s uncharacteristic crashes across the weekend and Lando Norris’ inability to capitalise on his mistakes have just slightly opened the door for Verstappen.

The Dutchman was exceptional, nailing qualifying in tricky conditions that saw a record six red flags shown for crashing in all three sessions.

Verstappen’s fastest time in Q3 was a second quicker than Red Bull teammate Yuki Tsunoda, and he was barely seen on the live broadcast because he was so far clear of George Russell and Carlos Sainz.

Speaking after the race, Verstappen lauded a ‘fantastic weekend’ for the team, but also explained why his fourth win of the season was so ‘unusual’.

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Max Verstappen admits Azerbaijan Grand Prix win was ‘unusual’ for an unexpected reason

Verstappen was interviewed on the Talking Bull Podcast after the race, and asked to sum up his time in Baku, he said: “Yeah, all in all, of course, a fantastic weekend for us.

“Qualifying went really well, but also the race, I think as a team, we did a great job with also the tyre choice.

“And yeah, it’s been incredible. A bit unusual, I guess, it was too straightforward, I’m not used to that anymore, but we take it!”

Tsunoda also achieved his best result since his Red Bull promotion earlier in the year, and asked to explain his sudden improvement, he said: “Yeah, very happy with this step, especially that I made with my long run.

“I think without the effort I put in last week to improve myself in the long run, and also some changes we made with this car that I got supported a lot from the team.

“Without that, I probably wouldn’t have been able to achieve this result, well, definitely.

“So, this race makes me a lot more confident for the future, and I just keep digging into the performance stats so I can improve more.”

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Max Verstappen’s manager sends hint about his Red Bull future

Underlying all of Verstappen’s efforts over the past two race weekends was the knowledge that team principal Laurent Mekies can rely on his star driver heading into next season.

There are far too many question marks over who is going to be competitive going into the upcoming regulations changes to know whether Verstappen’s talent will be enough to keep Red Bull near the front of the grid.

Verstappen’s contract runs until the end of 2028, but various break clauses could be activated that would allow him to leave sooner.

In the build-up to the race in Baku, Verstappen’s manager explained how Red Bull can keep him at the team for the foreseeable future, putting pressure on Mekies and his staff to perform.

They’ll be well aware of what it takes to reach the Dutchman’s impeccably high standards, but Raymond Vermeulen’s comments will also put plenty of Red Bull’s rivals on high alert heading into next year’s driver market.