Max Verstappen appears to be coming to terms with Red Bull’s lack of competitiveness, as evidenced after the qualifying round in Hungary. The Dutchman had to concede significantly to both McLaren drivers and a rampant Charles Leclerc, resulting in a disappointing eighth starting position. The gap is so large that Verstappen is now considering the possibility of not winning a single race this season. A new world title seems further away than ever.
Verstappen sounded less than hopeful ahead of the race weekend in Hungary, but still expressed disappointment after the qualifying round. “It’s not going well all weekend,” he sighed to the Dutch media. “I have no grip. I can’t attack the corners, I can’t accelerate – nothing works.” McLaren seemed on track for pole position for a long time, but ultimately lost it to a surprisingly fast Charles Leclerc. However, Verstappen, whose pursuit of a fifth world title is seriously hampered, sees little reason for optimism.
No National Anthem on the Podium
“It doesn’t really hurt me,” he said resignedly. “I’m not really participating anymore. Will I win a race this year? No, I don’t see that happening. I’ll keep doing my best and try to take advantage of the opportunities I get – like the sprint victory at Spa last week. But nothing worked this weekend. Because I’m sliding so much, my tires wear out extremely quickly. I didn’t expect this to be our best weekend, but I also didn’t expect it to be this difficult.”
Rain is forecast for the race on Sunday – usually good news for Verstappen, who has excelled in wet conditions in the past. However, he hopes it stays dry in Budapest. “With the feeling I have in the car now, rain really wouldn’t help.” For now, the Red Bull driver is resigned to the situation. “I can’t change anything,” he concluded pragmatically. “I could get angry, but that won’t make the car go any faster.”
