Red Bull Racing has replaced four power-unit components on Max Verstappen’s car ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after the Dutchman suffered a serious loss of straight-line speed during qualifying. Despite the changes, Verstappen will keep his eighth-place starting position in Baku.
Red Bull has fitted Verstappen’s car with a new internal combustion engine (ICE), turbocharger (TC), exhaust system (EXH) and an additional power-unit component (PU-ANC).
The changes come after a difficult qualifying session in which Verstappen struggled to match the straight-line speed of his rivals. The four-time world champion had already reported a problem during Q1, with the issue becoming progressively worse as qualifying continued.
The situation became more complicated in Q3 when Verstappen also encountered difficulties with the battery’s energy deployment.
Verstappen suffered major straight-line deficit
The extent of Red Bull’s problem was highlighted by the speed-trap figures from qualifying.
Verstappen recorded a maximum speed of just 306.3 km/h, leaving him 20th among the 22 drivers. His Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar, running the same specification of power unit, was around 11 km/h faster through the speed trap.
The deficit was particularly significant in Baku, where the long main straight makes top speed and efficient energy deployment crucial.
Verstappen subsequently explained that the problem had affected his qualifying performance from the beginning of the session.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies confirmed after qualifying that the team intended to make changes before Sunday’s race.
According to Mekies, the problem was not limited to Verstappen losing speed on the straights. It also affected the way the team could manage energy deployment and made tyre preparation more difficult.
Red Bull replaces four power-unit components
Red Bull has now confirmed the extent of the intervention.
Verstappen will use his fourth ICE, fourth turbo and fourth exhaust of the season after the team replaced all three components ahead of the race.
The Dutchman will also receive a new PU-ANC component. He had already used four examples of that component during the season before the latest change.
The scale of the intervention indicates that Red Bull has taken action across several areas of the power unit following Friday’s problems.
However, not every component is being changed.
In particular, there is no indication that Verstappen will receive a new battery as part of the work carried out by Red Bull before the race.
Verstappen avoids a grid penalty
Crucially for Verstappen, the changes do not result in a grid penalty.
He therefore retains the eighth position he secured during qualifying and will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the fourth row.
The decision gives Red Bull an opportunity to address the technical problems that severely compromised Verstappen’s qualifying performance without sacrificing his starting position.
The effectiveness of the changes will become clear during the race, particularly on Baku’s long straights where Verstappen suffered his biggest deficit during qualifying.
With Red Bull replacing four significant power-unit components overnight, the team will be hoping the changes restore the straight-line performance and energy deployment that Verstappen was missing during qualifying.
Would you like to see more TJ13 Formula 1 coverage? Add us to your favourites list on Google to receive trusted F1 news.
Craig Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
During race weekends, Craig acts as desk lead, directing contributors, prioritising breaking stories, and ensuring timely publication across a fast-moving news cycle.
Craig’s work focuses heavily on real-time developments in the paddock, including team updates, regulatory decisions, and emerging controversies. This role requires a detailed understanding of Formula 1’s operational flow, from practice sessions through to race-day strategy and post-race fallout.
With experience managing editorial teams, Craig ensures that TJ13 delivers structured, reliable coverage while maintaining the site’s distinctive voice.
Craig has a particular interest in how information moves within the paddock environment, and how rapidly developing stories can be accurately translated into clear, accessible reporting for readers.
