Ex-F1 Driver Declares McLaren Fell Apart Against Flawless Max Verstappen at Azerbaijan GP

Ex-F1 driver David Brabham made a shocking revelation on McLaren and their blunders against Max Verstappen at the Azerbaijan GP.

Ex-F1 Driver Declares McLaren Fell Apart Against Flawless Max Verstappen at Azerbaijan GP

Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Getty)

🔍 Explore this post with:

ChatGPTPerplexityGrok AIGoogle AI

Max Verstappen was clearly the superior driver at the Azerbaijan GP despite Red Bull’s recent slump in performance. The Dutchman left the McLarens in the dust in Baku and achieved a stellar race win. To make matters worse, Lando Norris finished in only P7, with Oscar Piastri suffering from a DNF. Now, ex-F1 driver David Brabham has berated the British constructor and their failure against Verstappen in Baku.

Max Verstappen was coming off his dominant record-breaking victory at the Italian GP. The Azerbaijan GP was supposed to be tricky for even Verstappen. However, a wreck-filled Qualifying worked out great in the Dutchman’s favor. Moreover, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri committed major blunders and caused his title lead against Verstappen to fall to 69 points. Now, suddenly, the reigning champion seems to return to the mix for achieving the title in the 2025 season.

David Brabham recalled the woeful Azerbaijan GP weekend for McLaren and what they should take in terms of learnings from the race. Brabham insisted that everything fell apart for Woking, especially with Piastri’s DNF and Lando Norris‘ mediocre P7 finish. However, such wasn’t the case for Max Verstappen as he achieved his 67th career win in Baku that day, and that too with a dominant performance.

Speaking on Max Verstappen’s sublime victory, David Brabham noted that he was a great example of a world champion, something that Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris were yet to showcase. Brabham continued that the McLarens suffered from a bad weekend, and nothing worked out for them. However, the Aussie questioned the reasons behind too many mistakes on race day for the British constructor.

It all kind of fell apart [for McLaren] in Baku, obviously in tricky conditions. But look at someone like Max, who again did a flawless example of what a world champion is like. McLaren and Oscar had just one of those bad weekends, just didn’t quite work out for them. [There were] too many mistakes that were very costly. You have to ask the question, why?

David Brabham told RacingNews365

David Brabham claims Baku woes ‘helped’ McLaren against Max Verstappen

McLaren walked out of the race weekend on a disappointing note and a potential battle with Max Verstappen down the season. Although the constructor seemed to end the weekend on a loss, David Brabham believes that there are some positives to take from the Azerbaijan GP. Brabham asserted that the woes in Baku helped Woking in a way they would not expect.

Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Planetf1)
Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris (via Planetf1)

David Brabham questioned whether the woes at the Azerbaijan GP were a result of all the built-up pressure since the beginning of the 2025 season. Brabham added that the pressure was now popped and released, allowing McLaren to readjust for the rest of the season and start afresh. As such, the Aussie reckoned that in a way it helped Woking relax a bit and put their focus on the right place once again.

Is that the pressure of everything building to the point where it has to have like a pop-off valve to release the pressure and readjust for the rest of the season? It could be seen as a blessing in some way, because it’s helped them to do that and refocus for the rest of the season. So it’ll be fascinating to see what happens next.

David Brabham noted

The 2025 season only has seven races left now, with the Singapore GP up next. Max Verstappen does not have a proven winning track record in Singapore as he is yet to win a race there. However, if Verstappen manages to carry his positive momentum forward, he can become a serious title contender. The Dutchman isn’t overconfident in his chances and is looking to take the season race by race.

Read More: Lewis Hamilton Makes Bold Prediction on Max Verstappen Winning Rest of 2025 F1 Races