Max Verstappen Baku confidence grows despite still chasing key Red Bull RB20 element

Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez feel the RB20 is in a more competitive window this weekend in Azerbaijan.

After Max Verstappen finished as quickest man in first practice, it was Sergio Perez’s turn to lead Red Bull’s efforts as the Mexican driver finished second-fastest in the afternoon session.

Max Verstappen confident of Red Bull’s competiveness

While Verstappen couldn’t match Perez’s pace in second practice, not helped by two straight-line moments that had him in the escape areas lining the Baku City Circuit.

But the Dutch driver kept his car out of the barriers and undamaged, to the relief of his Red Bull team which has rolled out with a new floor geometry this weekend with the aim of addressing some of the balance issues which has plagued the team through the middle portion of the championship.

Whether it be the circuit or the car changes, it looked a stronger day for Red Bull in Azerbaijan as Verstappen went quickest of all in the first session.

Finishing half a second off the pace in the afternoon, Verstappen was nonetheless feeling a bit happier with how things had played out, although said the team is still searching for more balance.

“I think, overall, a good day,” he said, as Verstappen aims to protect his 62-point lead in the Drivers’ Championship.

“We learned quite a bit. Now it’s just about tidying up the things that we tried. But I think, so far, we have been more competitive this weekend, so that’s a positive.”

Having had his minor offs during the day, Verstappen explained them as: “It’s also the track, it’s very slippery, a lot of 90-degree corners, so if you have a tiny lock, sometimes you hold the brake to not hit the wall or whatever, just out of precaution.

“But, for sure, FP2 was a bit more difficult for me, so like I said, we just need to get the balance together a bit more. I’m quite confident that we can be competitive.”

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Sergio Perez: Red Bull ‘in the mix’ for qualifying

With Red Bull chasing its first win since June’s Spanish Grand Prix, Sergio Perez underlined the step forward the team appears to have made as the Mexican driver all but matched Charles Leclerc’s pace in second practice.

Perez logged a best time just 0.006 down on Leclerc to finish second and said the changes made to the RB20 have been “promising”.

“It was definitely a good, solid day,” Perez said.

“We made good progress from FP1 to FP2, so we just have to make sure that we’re able to progress from here. I think we can definitely be in the mix for tomorrow.

“I think we’re heading in the right direction, we’re finding that we can put a little bit more together the car. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s promising what we’ve seen so far.

“I think tomorrow anything can happen, really, so we just have to keep our heads down and hopefully deliver a great couple of laps. Well, we only need one in Q3!”

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