Red Bull's Baku Double Podium Sends Verstappen Back to Sepang, Where He Won in 2017

Max Verstappen has not won a Grand Prix yet in 2026, but after Baku he looks closer than at any point this season. On Saturday he finished second in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, just 0.196 seconds behind George Russell. His returning team-mate Isack Hadjar took third, giving Red Bull its first double podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix, according to Sky Sports.

The timing is good for Malaysian fans. F1 returns to Sepang International Circuit this weekend for the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix (2–4 October), and Verstappen won the last F1 race held there.

What changed in Baku

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies called Baku "our best weekend of the season" and said the latest upgrades "clearly worked". He also looked back at where the team started the year: "At the beginning of the season, when we were about a second off the pace, this felt very far away, but we are competing at the front now."

Verstappen's weekend didn't start smoothly. "Yesterday, we found an issue with the engine and changed it, so luckily everything was fixed," he said. He started eighth. He said the medium tyre "didn't work like I think a lot of people expected", but things improved after he switched to softs. "I had fun. It was just pushing flat out," he said of his final stint. He added that Russell's slow exit from Turn 15 under the late yellow flags was the reason the finish was so close.

Asked about his first win of the year, Verstappen said: "We keep trying, and we'll see if it happens or not."

Hadjar's comeback

Hadjar had missed three races through injury, and Baku was his first race back. "You can't really ask for a better comeback than that," the Frenchman said. "It was a demanding track to make a return at, but once I got into a flow I felt like I never left." Mekies said Hadjar had "taken even another step forward".

Sepang and Verstappen

Verstappen has some of his best early memories at Sepang:

• 2015: He finished seventh for Toro Rosso and became the youngest driver ever to score World Championship points.
• 2017: He won the Malaysian Grand Prix on 1 October 2017 for Red Bull, ahead of Lewis Hamilton, with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo third. It was the last F1 race in Malaysia until now.

Red Bull also won the 2016 Malaysian GP with Ricciardo. According to the RacingNews365 list of winners, the team has five wins at Sepang (2010, 2011, 2013, 2016 and 2017). Only Ferrari, with seven, has more.

The numbers going to Malaysia

Verstappen is sixth in the Drivers' Championship with 163 points. Hadjar is eighth with 86. Red Bull is fourth in the Constructors' Championship with 263 points, 43 behind McLaren, who scored nothing in Baku. Sepang's two long straights and fast corners are a very different challenge from Baku's street layout, so this weekend should show whether Red Bull's step forward carries over.

Key takeaways

• Verstappen finished 0.196s behind Russell in Baku after starting eighth. He still hasn't won in 2026.
• Hadjar finished third on his return from a three-race injury absence, completing Red Bull's first double podium since China 2024.
• Mekies called Baku Red Bull's "best weekend of the season" and said the upgrades worked.
• Verstappen won the 2017 Malaysian GP, the last F1 race at Sepang before this weekend.

FAQ

Has Verstappen won at Sepang before? Yes. He won the 2017 Malaysian Grand Prix for Red Bull. He also became F1's youngest points scorer there in 2015.

Why was Red Bull's Baku result significant? It was the team's first double podium since the 2024 Chinese GP, and Mekies said the upgrades clearly worked.

Where is Red Bull in the standings? Fourth in the Constructors' Championship with 263 points after Baku.

Sources: Formula1.com, Sky Sports, GrandPrix247, MotorBiscuit, RacingNews365, Wikipedia (2015 and 2017 Malaysian Grands Prix)