Max Verstappen frustrated with qualifying performance at Hungarian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen, the Red Bull driver, expressed his frustration after qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix, stating that he had struggled throughout the weekend to find a comfortable feeling with his car around the Hungaroring.
Verstappen, who arrived in Budapest with seven pole positions from the previous 10 rounds, had to settle for second on the grid this time. He was narrowly beaten by Lewis Hamilton in his Mercedes after the chequered flag dropped in Q3.
While Hamilton improved with his second attempt, Verstappen could not find any more time, and he had to settle for the second spot on the front row by a margin of just 0.003 seconds.
When asked about his final lap, Verstappen responded, “Not much happened. I’ve been struggling the whole weekend to find the good balance. Every session has been up and down.”
He continued, “Today, also in qualifying, it was really difficult… to just feel confident to really attack corners. I thought my first one in Q3 was quite good, the second run again [I had] no feeling. I try to push a little bit more, lose the rear, lose the front.”
Verstappen admitted his disappointment, saying, “I mean we are still second, but I think we should be ahead with the car we have normally. So far this weekend we haven’t been on it.”
He also mentioned that the updates they brought to the race helped, but they couldn’t put everything together in terms of setup. Verstappen acknowledged that their performance has been all over the place and not where they want to be.
The driver now faces a race-day battle with his title rival Hamilton, along with McLaren drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, as he aims to maintain Red Bull’s perfect winning record for the season.
Verstappen acknowledged the challenges ahead, saying, “It depends a bit on the temperature. It’s going to be quite hot, so normally the rear tyres are going to be quite difficult. I think for the race, everything settles down a bit more, I would have just hoped to have a bit more fun balance in qualifying to really attack it.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez had a more positive outcome, as he made it through to Q3 for the first time in five races and secured ninth place on the grid. Reflecting on his performance, Perez mentioned the tight battle and the difficulty with the soft compound tires in the final run.
Despite the challenges, Perez believes they have a good race car and have focused on preparations for the race itself. He expressed confidence in their ability to fight from their starting position.
The Hungarian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting race as Verstappen and his competitors look to make their mark on the circuit.