Verstappen says Baku was a missed Red Bull chance after engine issue

Verstappen said Baku may have been Red Bull’s best opportunity to fight for a win, but an engine problem disrupted that chance. After topping final practice and feeling encouraged by the team’s upgrades, he went into qualifying hoping to challenge near the front.

Instead, a power unit issue cost him performance and left him eighth on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Verstappen said he probably could not have matched George Russell’s pole lap, but with the gap behind Russell he believed a front-row start was a realistic result.

Initial impressions suggested the problem was linked to energy deployment on the electrical side of the power unit, but Verstappen later said it was an internal combustion engine issue. PlanetF1 reported the problem leaves him facing a definite grid penalty.