Verstappen Reveals Damage Behind Hungarian GP Second Place
Max Verstappen revealed that his Red Bull was carrying damage during the Hungarian Grand Prix, adding another complication to a weekend in which the team struggled to find a stable car balance.
Despite those difficulties, Verstappen finished second in Budapest to secure back-to-back podiums. The result came after a race in which his complaints over the car’s behaviour continued, following a difficult qualifying session detailed in Red Bull’s search for answers after Hungarian GP qualifying.
Oversteer and tyre degradation remain central issues
Verstappen said the problems he experienced during the race were consistent with those from the previous day. The car was extremely oversteery, while tyre degradation also became a concern at one stage.
“I was still struggling with the same things as yesterday, so the car was just extremely oversteery, just degging quite hard at one point as well,” Verstappen told media.
The opening phase nevertheless gave Red Bull an opportunity to remain in contention. Verstappen was involved in a battle with Lewis Hamilton and recovered track position after losing ground during the pit-stop phase. His move back ahead of the Ferrari driver helped make the rest of the race more manageable.
“But at the start, moving forward was, of course, making our first stint possible. We got undercut, but then I made the move on Lewis, which I think made my second stint a little bit more straightforward,” he explained.
Soft-tyre gamble delivers unexpected podium
For the final stint, Red Bull placed Verstappen on soft tyres. The choice initially appeared to create a difficult run to the chequered flag, particularly given the concerns over degradation. However, Verstappen and the team managed to make the strategy work.
He was running towards third place before Hamilton pitted during a virtual safety car period. That change promoted Verstappen to second and preserved his podium finish.
“Then the team also put me onto the softs, which initially I was like, ‘that’s going to be a long run to the end,’ but we made it work,” he said.
Verstappen admitted the result exceeded expectations, given how the car had felt throughout the weekend. He also discovered the extent of the challenge only after climbing out of the car, when he noticed damage.
“I still don’t really understand how we are second, but I think as a team we performed strongly,” Verstappen said. “I see it as a bit of an overperformance compared to what we expected.”
He added: “I also saw, when I jumped out of the car again, there was damage on the car for whatever reason. It was not made easy for us.”
Simone Scanu
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.