Flexi wing could explain Red Bull's Baku boost

A more flexible front wing could be playing a significant role in Red Bull's uptick in performance this weekend on the streets of Baku.

The FIA's pre-race document, which outlined the various car upgrades for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, mentioned only that Red Bull had introduced updates to their floor design.

However, Dutch commentator Olav Mol believes he may have spotted something additional.

"Red Bull already said that if the McLaren and Mercedes wings were approved, they will also go in that direction," he noted on Ziggo Sport, referring to the ongoing scrutiny of wing flexibility by the FIA in recent races.

"I think they (Red Bull) already have a wing like that on the car now," Mol added.

"I think they've pulled these parts out of the cupboard again. I think they made them a bit more rigid in Belgium, but now that what McLaren and Mercedes have been doing is approved, they said 'Ok, put that wing back on again,'" Mol explained further.

Regardless of whether Mol's theory holds true, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have been more positive about the car's behaviour in Baku. Verstappen's only setback seemed to be a last-minute change to the car's setup before qualifying, which may have cost him pace, resulting in a P6 grid position.

"We changed the setup after FP3 and obviously overshot the target," said Verstappen. "But basically, we have improved the car a bit. We are still fine-tuning it, but it is better than before."

Indeed, Red Bull's advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, believes that without "one of Max's rare mistakes" in Q3, the triple world champion "was just as fast as (Charles) Leclerc," who secured pole position.

Another positive takeaway for Verstappen is that his main championship rival, McLaren's Lando Norris, endured a terrible qualifying session, ending up in 17th place.

Verstappen acknowledged that this would likely hamper Norris' ability to reduce the points gap in Sunday's race, "but you still want to do as well as possible for yourself, and this was a bad day."

"He was fast," Verstappen added, referring to Norris. "It's not like he's 17th because he has no speed. He will definitely move forward."

However, Marko pointed out: "The positive thing is that we have found some speed again. We have improved a lot. And thank God this is a circuit where you can overtake."

Meanwhile, Ferrari's Carlos Sainz will start from P3, while pole position specialist Charles Leclerc will lead from the front, giving Ferrari a prime opportunity to reduce the points gap to both McLaren and Red Bull in the constructors' standings.

"I don't really know how many points we are behind Red Bull (39)," Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur commented, "but maybe we have a chance to close up the gap here. First, we're going to focus purely on this race, and then we'll see," Vasseur added.

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