Overview

• Max Verstappen’s consecutive wins at Monza and Baku cut his deficit to Oscar Piastri to about 69 points, renewing Red Bull’s title hopes.
• Oscar Piastri still leads Lando Norris by roughly 25 points after Baku, where he jumped the start and crashed in both qualifying and the race as Norris finished seventh.
• Red Bull’s upturn is credited to a new floor and a reset under Laurent Mekies, with Verstappen saying the team has unlocked the RB21’s operating window.
• McLaren’s boss expects Piastri to rebound but flagged a smaller margin for error and cited Baku execution issues including reliability setbacks and another slow stop for Norris.
• Guenther Steiner urged McLaren to prioritize Piastri to avoid losing the drivers’ crown, while Ferrari was told to “wake up” after being overtaken by Mercedes for second in the constructors’ standings.