Max Verstappen: I Wouldn't Have Won Even if I'd Started Second

Pulse Sports Team 11:45 - 29 September 2026

Max Verstappen finished the Azerbaijan Grand Prix just 0.196 seconds behind race winner George Russell, getting a late opportunity to attack after spending the closing stages hovering within a second of the Briton.

The four-time world champion delivered a stellar drive through the streets of Baku on Saturday, aided by a fresh engine fitted ahead of the race following Friday's qualifying struggles, which left him starting eighth. However, Verstappen admitted that even starting from the front row would not have been enough to secure victory, acknowledging he lacked the outright pace to beat Russell.

“Even if I had started second, I think it would have been difficult to pass George given his pace. Maybe I would have been a bit closer in the first stint, and then we would have had the same race after the pit stops. My opening stint would have certainly been easier rather than having to fight through all those cars. “The soft tyres were definitely better than the mediums because those first few laps of the opening stint were tough. The tyres simply weren't switching on, and I just had to survive until the end of the stint and stretch it as long as possible. “The Safety Car came out at the perfect moment to switch to the softs. The final laps were really enjoyable because there was almost no degradation. We were pushing flat out right to the end, and the gap hovered around a second the whole time, which was fun. “It looked close at the finish, but I think that was mostly down to George losing more time under the yellow flag in Turn 15. If you look at the entire second stint, the gap was about a second throughout, so it most likely would have ended that way regardless,” Verstappen explained after the race.