Is George Russell Really Back?
We took this picture in Barcelona, when George Russell was ambushed by a group of kids looking for autographs. 😄
Based on his performance in Baku — definitely yes.
He was full of confidence from the start of the weekend and made virtually no mistakes. His discipline was impeccable and, regardless of the challenges, he simply did not put a foot wrong.
For most of the race, Russell was never seriously challenged before the first Safety Car, while his team-mate was playing catch-up. It was a remarkably mature and measured performance.
But there is an important caveat.
Russell is expected to take an engine penalty in one of the upcoming races, meaning the real test of whether George Russell is truly back is fast approaching.
That is when things get interesting.
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Is Red Bull’s Engine the Best in F1?
Looking very carefully at the race data from Baku paints a very interesting picture.
When determining the performance of the current F1 engines, we have to remember that the modern Power Unit is an extremely complex system.
On one side, there is the ICE — Internal Combustion Engine. Then there is the electrical side: the MGU-K, battery and control electronics.
So when we look at the FIA’s assessment of the manufacturers’ engines, we are essentially talking about the ICE.
But how can we test whether that assessment is supported by what we see on track?
We have to look at the moments when only the ICE is providing propulsion. This happens after the battery has been fully depleted on the long straights, and continues briefly before super-clipping begins — when the ICE is used to recharge the battery.
The race data from Baku shows something very interesting.
In these sections, Red Bull’s top speed was consistently around 10–12 km/h higher than Mercedes’.
So it appears that the FIA’s assessment is not without basis. The track data supports the possibility that Red Bull currently has the strongest ICE in F1 for 2026.
The upcoming race at Sepang should provide another very important set of data — and hopefully complete the picture. 🏎️🔋
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Wide vs Tight Racing Lines
Looking carefully at Kimi Antonelli’s sensational race in Monza revealed a very interesting picture.
Kimi was using much tighter racing lines than anybody else. In simple terms, he was exiting the corners — especially Ascari — about 1.5 metres away from the wide exit lines George Russell was using.
Such a tight exit line simply does not make sense in conventional racing. It comes at the cost of speed, which is inevitably scrubbed away during the sharp change of direction.
But current F1 cars actually like to be driven this way.
Why?
Because the electrical systems favour straight-line speed. Drivers are no longer required to carry maximum speed through the corner and onto the exit. Instead, they can sacrifice some corner speed to maximise acceleration and performance on the straight.
Fast-forward to Baku and the contrast between Hadjar and Max becomes even more striking.
Hadjar was still carrying an injury to his left wrist and, quite understandably, was driving defensively around the walls. He was leaving obvious margins, carefully avoiding any unnecessary risk of contact.
Max was doing almost the exact opposite.
He was using every centimetre of track available, pushing the car towards the walls and actually brushing them several times to widen his racing lines and carry more speed.
One driver was leaving margin to protect himself.
The other was using the walls as part of the track.
So what was the result of these completely different driving styles?
Logic dictates that Max’s wider lines should have been faster, right?
Wrong.
That is F1 in 2026. 🏎️🔋
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That’s a chequered flag 🏁 for today.
Tomorrow, best. 🏎️