Twelve months ago in Azerbaijan, Max Verstappen took pole, led every lap and beat George Russell by 14.6 seconds. He returns to the Baku City Circuit this week 14 races into a season without a victory.

Verstappen sits sixth in the drivers’ standings on 145 points, 147 behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

His best results this season have been three second places, at the Austrian, Hungarian and Spanish Grands Prix. His own verdict on the car is blunt.

“It’s just looking at the lap times, we are quite a bit down still,” Verstappen said. “It’s a mix of a lot of things, for sure maybe a little bit of deployment, but also the car itself.”

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Steiner expects the drought to hold

Former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner does not expect Verstappen to win at all this season. He has predicted the Dutchman will finish 2026 without a race win, pointing to Mercedes and McLaren’s pace advantage.

“Gas, he will not,” Steiner said. “Mercedes and McLaren are too strong, and it’s just the car.”

“He’s not good enough. He will be Super Max, he will be on the podium, but I think that’s the limit.”

Antonelli’s runaway lead

Antonelli leads Russell by 81 points and Lando Norris by 106, arriving in Baku after consecutive wins at Monza and Madrid. Eight rounds remain after Azerbaijan.

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Race moved forward for Day of Remembrance

The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been moved to Saturday, 26 September, with the entire weekend brought forward a day to avoid the country’s Day of Remembrance on Sunday, 27 September. The race has not previously been held on a Saturday, according to Sky Sports.

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