“We always want to be more competitive”: Max Verstappen ready to get back to winning ways at Baku

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull put in considerable effort during the two-week break to address the issues plaguing the RB20. In a team statement ahead of the 2024 Azerbaijan GP, the Dutch driver emphasized that their main focus is to return to a position where they can consistently challenge for victories.

After being beaten by Lando Norris at Zandvoort by 22.7 seconds and finishing sixth in Monza, Verstappen and Red Bull have faced a string of disappointing results. He revealed that he spent time at the factory over the break, working on improvements. Both Red Bull drivers have been extensively using the simulator at Milton Keynes to tackle the car's performance challenges.

Previewing the Azerbaijan GP weekend in a team statement, Max Verstappen said:

“I have been back in the factory with the team this week and on the sim ahead of the double header. Monza was a tough race and it is our priority to get our form back to where it needs to be. We always want to be more competitive and the team has been working hard to improve the issues we have been seeing with the car from the past few races. We are now back to the flyaways with this first race returning to Baku. It is always a good challenge coming here and is an interesting track to drive, being a street circuit with long straights, so we are ready to get back racing again and see what the weekend brings.”

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Adrian Newey accuses Sky Sports and British media of "demonizing" Max Verstappen

Adrian Newey believes that Sky Sports and the British press have been unfairly portraying Max Verstappen in a negative light, attributing this to a nationalistic bias in their coverage. The 65-year-old aerodynamic expert drew parallels between Verstappen’s treatment in the media to that received by Sebastian Vettel during his dominant years. According to Newey, the reigning champion has faced similar criticism and misrepresentation due to biased coverage, a pattern often seen with non-British drivers.

Speaking on the High Performance Podcast about Max Verstappen (via Motorsport), Newey said:

"From the outside, I'm not sure people fully appreciate and understand Max, just like they didn't with Sebastian. There's this sort of demonization both of them suffered at times, which is very unfair. And maybe that's also a little bit of the British media, if I'm honest. Sky have a huge influence around the world. Although viewing isn't truly international, their coverage is quite nationalistic, dare I say, and that can have an influence. It's this thing that now with journalism, typically… there is that trend to sort of either put people on a pedestal or knock them down.”

Newey has worked closely with Max Verstappen since his rookie season at Red Bull Racing. With Newey’s recent move to Aston Martin, speculation has arisen about a potential reunion with Verstappen in 2026. Reports indicate that the Dutch driver has been in discussions with Aston Martin since the summer break, possibly to join forces with both Honda and Newey for the 2026 season and beyond. Although the triple world champion is contracted with Red Bull until the end of 2028, examples like Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari show that contract maneuvering is always possible.