How Verstappen can disrupt Antonelli, Russell title fight — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Kimi Antonelli leads George Russell by 66 points in the 2026 F1 drivers' championship with eight rounds remaining, after Antonelli called his Baku performance his "worst weekend" of the season.
- Max Verstappen finished less than two tenths behind race winner George Russell at the Baku Grand Prix, while teammate Isack Hadjar took third — the first Red Bull double podium in over two years.
- Red Bull brought their final major 2026 upgrade package to Baku — including a new floor body, diffuser, and sidepods — which both drivers praised; Verstappen has seven podiums this season, five in the last six rounds.
- Mercedes is introducing a major upgrade package at this weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang, where medium-to-high-speed corners will test aerodynamic performance on a more traditional track layout than Baku.
- Verstappen has won at least one race every year since 2016, a 10-season streak, and team principal Laurent Mekies said Red Bull expect "another couple of occasions" to fight for victory before year-end.
- The article draws parallels to 2016, when a 19-year-old Verstappen repeatedly disrupted the Nico Rosberg-Lewis Hamilton title fight despite Mercedes' dominant car, including triggering the FIA's "Verstappen Rule" on defensive braking manoeuvres.
Why it matters: Verstappen's Baku pace — under two tenths off Russell — combined with Red Bull's final upgrade package gives the four-time champion a credible shot at ending a 2026 winless streak, with team principal Laurent Mekies citing 'another couple of occasions' to win before year-end. Sepang's traditional aero demands will reveal whether Baku was a track-suited fluke or a genuine threat to Antonelli's 66-point championship lead.
Ask SkimNews
