Verstappen stunned as Red Bull turns Hungarian GP struggles into podium
A result Red Bull did not expect
Max Verstappen arrived at Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix expecting another difficult afternoon. After revealing in the paddock on Saturday that Red Bull appeared to encounter new problems at every Formula 1 weekend, the four-time world champion had little reason to anticipate a podium finish.
Yet Verstappen secured his fourth podium of the season at the circuit near Budapest, a result he described as an over-performance relative to the car’s outright pace. His comments followed a qualifying session in which the RB22’s aerodynamic performance deteriorated throughout the run. Red Bull’s qualifying difficulties were also covered in this report on the team’s search for answers.
“I was just like, ‘How the hell did I end up here?’ I was shocked, I’m actually still shocked,” Verstappen said when asked about his thoughts on the final lap.
A damaged floor vane extension piece, replaced with FIA approval under parc fermé conditions after Laurent Mekies identified the damage, did not resolve the problem. Verstappen said the car felt exactly the same and warned that the race would be difficult.
Oversteer and decisive race execution
The central issue remained the car’s oversteer. The balance made the RB22 unpredictable from corner to corner and had already caused Verstappen to spin at the final corner during the end of Q3.
“I think one of the hardest races of this year in terms of how I felt in the car, how I had to manage the balance as well from corner to corner,” he said. “So yeah, to be on the podium, I think was an incredible result for us.”
Red Bull’s execution nevertheless gave Verstappen a platform to recover. Moving forward at the start helped make the opening stint viable, although he was undercut. The crucial moment came when he overtook Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1, which made the second stint more straightforward. The team then committed to soft tyres, a strategy Verstappen initially feared would be difficult to carry to the finish, but ultimately made work.
He called the pass on Hamilton the race’s highlight, saying it was his only opportunity because Ferrari had reasonable pace. Verstappen saw the chance and took it.
Problems remain unresolved
Despite the podium, Verstappen made clear that Red Bull’s difficulties have not disappeared. “Overall, I still don’t really understand how we are second,” he said, while praising the team’s performance. He also noticed damage on the car after climbing out, another reminder that the result was achieved under unusually demanding circumstances.
For Red Bull, the Hungarian GP was therefore both encouraging and concerning: a strong result, but one that Verstappen believes exceeded what the car’s performance alone deserved.
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.