Max Verstappen’s boss assesses Red Bull’s chances at Baku against “very, very fast” F1 rivals

Max Verstappen's Red Bull team principal, Laurent Mekies, has cast light on his team's chances in Baku against 'fast' rivals like Ferrari and the high-flying McLaren Formula 1 team.

The Free Practice 3 session concluded just a short while ago, and following its end, Laurent Mekies has shared his thoughts and revealed where his team stacks up in comparison to the competition. McLaren's Lando Norris topped the session with a time of 1:41.223, and was followed into second and third place by Max Verstappen (0.222s) and Oscar Piastri (+0.254s).

"But look, I don't think it changed fundamentally what we have seen yesterday, you know, McLaren is very, very fast. Ferrari is very fast as well, and we try to get with these two teams, you know, probably what you see on the screen with us being trailing by two tenths is probably about fair of where we are as per the end of FP3."

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Mekies: But look, I don't think it changed fundamentally what we have seen yesterday, you know, McLaren is very, very fast. Ferrari is very fast as well, and we try to get with these two teams, you know, probably...

Other than the McLarens, the two Ferrari cars have also shown decent pace at the Baku City Street Circuit. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton ended the Free Practice 3 session in P4 for the Maranello-based outfit.

The rest of the top 10 at the end of comprised Andrea Kimi Antonelli (P5), George Russell (P6), Alexander Albon (P7), Oliver Bearman (P8), Liam Lawson (P9), and Hamilton's Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc (P10).

Max Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, managed a P16 finish behind Franco Colapinto (P15) and Fernando Alonso (P14).

"Still more to be gained": Max Verstappen on his prospects in Baku post Friday's running

F1 Grand Prix of Azerbaijan - Final Practice - Source: Getty

While Max Verstappen's boss, Laurent Mekies, has identified McLaren and Ferrari as potent rivals around the tight and tricky Baku Street Circuit, Verstappen gave his take on his team's prospects following the end of Friday's running.

In line with this, he talked at length and added the following:

"It didn't go wrong. The car feels good, which is positive. We've found a stable balance on this rather specific track. That's what you need. Everything has to come together to drive a good lap. " Via: RN365.

"We're still a bit short on one flying lap; there's still more to be gained from the car and myself. Hopefully, that will go a bit better tomorrow. The long run felt fine. It's always slippery here and hard on the tyres with the softer compounds, but that didn't go wrong."

The all-important 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying session is just around the corner. Going by what Laurent Mekies has said post FP3 and what Max Verstappen added yesterday, it is going to be fascinating to see how the RB21 will perform in the upcoming session.

The four-time world champion would ideally like to put his car in pole position to have a strong chance of winning Sunday's Grand Prix.