According to Max Verstappen, “virtually nothing is functioning correctly” on his Red Bull Formula 1 vehicle, evidenced by his performance during Friday’s sessions at the Hungarian Grand Prix where he trailed behind the leaders.
Verstappen concluded the FP2 session in the afternoon in a disappointing 14th position, a significant 1.1 seconds slower than the leading Lando Norris, and also lagging behind cars driven by Haas, Aston Martin, and his own team-mate, Yuki Tsunoda.
The reigning world champion lamented the absence of equilibrium in his RB21, describing it as “undriveable” and akin to “driving on ice.” He promptly retreated to the Red Bull engineering area for an extensive discussion with team principal Laurent Mekies, Tsunoda, and their respective engineering crews.
Prior to this meeting, Verstappen conceded that the Red Bull’s trackside crew, along with the support staff at the Milton Keynes headquarters, were facing a daunting task. While the team has previously managed to rectify its car’s setup overnight this season, the Dutchman suggested that there was no immediate explanation for the difficulties experienced at the Hungaroring on Friday.
“The day presented considerable challenges, marked by an overall scarcity of grip and a significant imbalance within the car, rendering it difficult to pinpoint the precise nature of the problem,” explained Verstappen, who currently holds third place in the championship standings.
“Effectively, nothing is functioning as anticipated, necessitating a thorough investigation to be conducted overnight. Thus far, the weekend has proven to be particularly challenging for us.”
“I am confident that we can achieve a more favorable outcome, but the events of today were undeniably subpar. We must first ascertain the underlying causes and comprehensively understand the factors contributing to such a substantial issue with the car. McLaren appears to be performing exceptionally well, demonstrating remarkable speed. However, there remains ample opportunity to improve and potentially narrow the gap with P2.”
Red Bull issued caution for towel-related incident
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Verstappen was also summoned to meet with the stewards due to an incident involving the ejection of a towel from his cockpit. This towel had inadvertently been left within the car between runs.
The stewards subsequently issued a warning to Red Bull regarding an unsafe release, citing the potential for the towel to interfere with Verstappen’s operation of the pedals.
“The object in question was simply a towel typically used to wipe one’s face upon returning to the garage; it remained inside the car when I resumed driving,” clarified Verstappen.
“To prevent it from potentially becoming lodged near my feet, which could present a hazard, I maneuvered the car off the racing line and disposed of it in the safest manner possible. I believe the stewards understood the situation.”
Tsunoda, who is progressing towards matching Verstappen’s Red Bull specification, although still lacking the latest front wing, finished just eight-tenths of a second behind in ninth position and experienced a contrasting Friday compared to his team-mate.
“In my assessment, the overall equilibrium is not the primary concern,” noted Tsunoda. “I believe our struggle lies in the deficiency of grip that I would typically expect to experience, and that is where we fall short. However, from our perspective, we implemented numerous adjustments for FP2, which resulted in a modest improvement compared to FP1.”
“I am confident that we can extract certain positive elements from both Max’s car and my own. By integrating these insights, I believe we must identify a fundamental limitation that may be impeding our progress.”
