Verstappen Faces Challenges in Hungarian Grand Prix Qualifying
Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing qualified eighth for the Hungarian Grand Prix, a disappointing result considering his recent form, which included a Sprint race victory in Belgium. The Dutch driver, who has not reached the podium in the last three Grands Prix, expressed surprise at the lack of competitiveness this weekend, especially as the top six were closely matched, with only a 0.126s gap between them. Verstappen, however, was 0.356s off pole position.
“Looking at the whole weekend, I think we are happy to be in Q3 because I’ve been more outside the top ten than in,” Verstappen stated, noting the overall grip issues throughout the event. “There’s not been a single lap or a single corner that I’ve felt good. The whole weekend so far has just been sliding … I have no grip.”
He acknowledged that Red Bull’s performance lagged behind McLaren compared to last year’s event in Budapest, but emphasized that this season’s car has not responded positively to setup changes. “We were a lot more competitive back then. Already from lap one, it just felt off. We threw the car around a lot and nothing really gave the direction,” Verstappen explained.
He expressed concerns about the race pace, indicating limited opportunities for advancement. “There’s a few cars ahead of me that I can maybe battle with a little bit, but Lewis (Hamilton) is a little bit further down the road and he shouldn’t be there. He will come through a bit,” Verstappen commented, hinting at the challenges to come during the race.
