The Formula 1 world has just witnessed one of the most stunning turnarounds of the season as Max Verstappen, once thought to be fading from the championship picture, roared back to life at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. With a bold, almost reckless strategy, Verstappen not only secured victory but also exposed a critical weakness in McLaren, drastically altering the landscape of the title fight. Newly emerged evidence reinforces this narrative, showing that Verstappen’s performance was more than just a race win—it was a devastating blow to the ambitions of the Papaya team.

Baku: A Masterstroke of Genius or the Ultimate Gamble?

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix is notorious for being an unpredictable race where strategy and luck play pivotal roles. As the dust settled in Baku, the headlines were all about Verstappen’s victory. But behind that win lay a chess move so audacious it rewrote the balance of power. Red Bull’s Team Principal, Laurent Mekies, later revealed a stunning truth: Verstappen was the driving force behind the winning strategy, not just the fastest driver but the mastermind on the pit wall.

Mekies disclosed that Verstappen insisted on starting on hard tires, while every other top-four competitor opted for softer compounds. “Max had a very clear idea that it will become a race where you just drive waiting for the safety car,” Mekies said. “The logic: don’t be the one to pit early, wait until chaos comes. If someone else gets a cheap pit stop and you’re cooked, you’re in trouble.”

This decision was not without immense risk. As Mekies admitted, “if a safety car happens on lap 10, you will not find that funny if you have started on hard”. Yet, Verstappen was “crystal clear”. He had seen echoes of Monza, where Red Bull’s gamble had faltered during a late safety car, and he refused to let it happen again. “In some respects, Monza was a bit like that. At some stage, we had to pit because our tires were pretty much gone. We have been exposed for a few laps to a safety car,” he reasoned. In Baku, he was adamant the strategy would pay off. Mekies said, “he wanted to exploit the pace of the car and disappear with the hards”. And he did exactly that.

When the lights went out, Red Bull followed his plan. Verstappen stretched his lead, waited, and pounced when the moment was right. The result: he vaulted into the lead, safe behind his strategy while others scrambled. The gamble had paid off.

The New Evidence: Verstappen Didn’t Just Win a Race, He Broke McLaren

That alone is headline-worthy, but the new evidence ties directly into McLaren’s collapse in Baku, showing that Verstappen didn’t just win a race; he struck a blow to McLaren’s armor. We now see he didn’t just catch them off guard; he anticipated their weakness.

“McLaren’s pace in the race was extremely difficult to read,” Mekies acknowledged. “The Papaya machines were not finding any free air on Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, they looked lost.” He warned, “We’ll probably never know what the real pace is in the race, but there’s certainly no room to relax for us.”

McLaren’s struggle wasn’t just bad luck; Verstappen forced it by applying pressure through strategy. By breaking the script, he pushed McLaren into a corner where their weaknesses were exposed. Their drivers fell apart: Lando Norris limped to P7, and Oscar Piastri crashed out on lap one. The team’s dream weekend turned into a nightmare.

A Resurgent Threat: From Forgotten Contender to Title Rival

Afterward, as pundits assessed the damage, a narrative shift began. Suddenly, Verstappen was no longer just a fading contender; he was a live threat. From being nearly forgotten in the title race, he reemerged with ferocity. When asked if he now believed in a 2025 title run, his answer was calm and commanding: “I don’t rely on hope. It’s seven rounds left. 69 points is a lot, so I personally don’t think about it. I just go race by race, just trying to do the best we can, try to score the most points that we can.” He wasn’t getting lost in dreams; he was focused on the next battle.

Yet, others sensed the tremors. McLaren’s Andrea Stella, trying to steady his own squad, declared Verstappen was still a title rival to Norris and Piastri. That statement was more than motivational; it was a warning. And Gary Anderson echoed it: “It would have seemed preposterous a few races ago, but now he certainly has a chance,” Anderson pointed out. Verstappen’s charge, cutting 25 points in one race plus 10 in Monza, wasn’t luck but a warning shot.

Even Lewis Hamilton weighed in after finishing eighth in Baku. He didn’t mince words: “Red Bull took an upgrade and they’ve now picked up their pace, and I expect they’re probably going to win all races.” Jacques Villeneuve added color to the tension: “Verstappen can win the championship. He is only three races away.” “If Max Verstappen wins the World Drivers’ Championship, it’s definitely his greatest achievement ever,” Villeneuve said, comparing his current level of performance to legends like Prost and Senna.

The Psychological Blow: Invading McLaren’s Mental Stronghold

So, what did he just do to McLaren? He invaded their mental stronghold. By executing a bold, risky strategy, he exposed not just Red Bull’s strength but McLaren’s fragility. He forced the favorites to falter, in part by daring them to break their rhythm. He didn’t just win a race; he reignited a championship fight. And now, McLaren must respond.

This is where it gets terrifying for McLaren. Seven races to go, 69 points ahead, but now they’re staring down a Max Verstappen who’s fully awake, fully locked in, and driving like a man with nothing to lose and everything to reclaim. And that is the most dangerous version of him.

McLaren team boss Andrea Stella may have tried to sound calm when he said Verstappen is still a title rival, but it’s what he didn’t say that matters. Deep inside the walls of Woking, they know Baku wasn’t a blip; it was a blueprint. “If Verstappen wins the next two rounds and Norris and Piastri start mixing it with the Mercedes or Ferrari cars, then the gap will reduce dramatically,” said former F1 engineer Gary Anderson. His tone wasn’t hypothetical; it was a warning. Because the math no longer favors the Papaya camp.

It simply highlights the pressure Verstappen has already applied. He has taken 35 points off Piastri in two races. Keep that up, and by Qatar, we’re talking about a dead heat.

Piastri and Norris: The Psychological Cracks Appear

And then there’s Oscar Piastri, the quiet Aussie, once the picture of consistency, who is now rattled. A crash on lap one in Baku was a rookie mistake from a driver who’s supposed to be anything but. Still, he tried to play it cool. “Not too concerned,” he said when asked about Verstappen’s comeback. But cool doesn’t win titles; execution does.

And Lando Norris, he walked away from P7 in Azerbaijan like a man who’d just dropped a bag of bricks on his own foot. No points lost to a rival, but momentum, pride, and confidence were shattered. These two, Piastri and Norris, were supposed to be fighting each other for the crown. Now they can barely outrun their own shadows.

Red Bull’s turnaround hasn’t just been mechanical; it’s been psychological. That hard tire gamble in Baku wasn’t just clever strategy; it was Verstappen’s way of saying, “I still control the narrative.” And just ask Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time champ who knows a thing or two about mind games and miracle runs. He said it plainly: “I expect Red Bull is probably going to win all races.” That’s not flattery; that’s fear.

Singapore: The Next Battleground and a Chance for McLaren?

And let’s not forget, Singapore is next—the track that haunted Red Bull last year. Even Verstappen admitted it: “Singapore is a completely different challenge again with the high downforce, so we’ll see what we can do there”. It’s the place McLaren should dominate. It’s the kind of circuit that exposed Red Bull’s weaknesses before. But this time, they might not have the margin for error. Because this version of Verstappen doesn’t need perfect conditions. He doesn’t need hope. He just needs an opportunity. As he said himself, “I don’t rely on hope, I just go race by race.” And quietly, that has become Red Bull’s new anthem.

But here’s the twist: what if McLaren doesn’t mess up? What if Piastri and Norris return to form and we get a three-way title brawl? That’s the scenario that should scare everyone. Because now it’s not just about winning races; it’s about survival. Think of the pressure: Piastri, in only his second full season, trying to carry McLaren to its first driver’s title since 2008. Norris, still hunting his first win since Spa, knowing every mistake widens the Dutchman’s door. And Verstappen, driving like a man on fire with nothing to lose and a legacy to secure. Jacques Villeneuve said it best: “If Max Verstappen wins the World Drivers’ Championship, it’s definitely his greatest achievement ever.” “He is easily the best of this generation, without question.” This wouldn’t just be a title; it would be a comeback so monumental it would burn its way into F1 folklore.

But now the question shifts. It’s no longer if Verstappen can catch them—that’s no longer a fantasy. The question is, can McLaren hold him off? Every lap now becomes a test, every strategy call, every pit stop, every qualifying session a pressure-cooker moment where one small mistake could mean the difference between champion and also-ran. And for the fans, this is what we live for: the dominant driver reawakens, the rising stars start to stumble, and the championship picture is shattered, reshaped, and rebuilt.

So now we ask you, the diehards, the skeptics, the believers: has Verstappen already turned the tide, or is this just the calm before McLaren’s counter-strike? Let us know what you think below, because this story, it’s far from over. And the next chapter starts in Singapore.