Max Verstappen wins again in Baku – will there now be a three-way battle for the world championship title?

Projections that McLaren could not only break Red Bull Racing's points record on its way to its tenth constructors' title, but even break the magic 900-point mark, were quickly dashed at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. At the 17th round of the World Championship, with the champagne already on ice, the British team received a cold shower. And in Max Verstappen, a winner who gives rise to entirely different calculations.

Already in the chaos of Saturday's qualifying, which had to be stopped six times, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri lost their internal navigation system, which had so often been geared towards one-two finishes; they only finished seventh and ninth. While it's not impossible to still make it onto the podium from that starting position with a superior car like the McLaren-Mercedes MCL39, it also requires tremendous effort.

World Championship leader Piastri's hopes were dashed at the start. The Australian released the clutch a little too quickly and then had to brake to compensate for the jump start. As a result, he stopped, the entire field passed him, and in his pursuit, he misjudged the narrow, winding, and slippery track through Baku's old town. His race was over after just five laps.

His colleague Norris could have gained a significant amount of points in the overall standings. But neither the driver nor his car were capable of doing so. The fact that a tire change took twice as long as usual illustrated how much the nervousness of the star drivers had affected the otherwise confident team. Despite numerous attempts, Norris was unable to improve, remaining seventh and gaining only six points on leader Piastri.

The Australian still leads Norris by 25 points. He quickly dismissed the weekend on the Caspian Sea, saying it wasn't exactly his finest hour. Norris, who tends to be more doubtful, was more fundamental: "Our car can really bite you, and that's exactly what it did this time."

When it comes to the right kind of grit, there's once again no way around defending champion Max Verstappen. The Dutchman, who by his own admission retired from the World Championship battle weeks ago, is enjoying this self-proclaimed freedom and making the most of it: He followed up his victory in Monza with another triumph from pole position on the very different track in Azerbaijan at the start of the decisive third of the season.

He did so in a manner that bore no resemblance to the fact that just eight weeks ago, he and his racing team were in the midst of the biggest crisis of their working relationship. Under new team principal Laurent Mekies, Verstappen has regained faith in his racing team; a self-perpetuating system for success has emerged overnight. "Last race weekend was great, but this one is incredible. When you're happier in the cockpit, you can get more out of it," Verstappen rejoiced.

Even knowing that the competition has become more nervous, the Dutchman downplays his chances of defending his title. He never relies on hopes, but takes things race by race. The visibly disappointed McLaren team principal Andrea Stella had previously answered the question of whether the predicted duel between his two drivers for the drivers' title would now become a three-way battle with a resounding "yes," and asked for the word to be capitalized.

A Verstappen who has regained his confidence is capable of anything. In any case, with more brilliant drives, he could be the deciding factor in the duel between Piastri and Norris . The Australian's 25-point lead is the equivalent of a win, with seven races and three sprints still to go. Norris and Verstappen, in turn, are separated by 44 points. The upcoming race in Singapore, where Red Bull has never looked good, will determine whether Verstappen can still get involved in the title race.