Max Verstappen qualified eighth for the Hungarian Grand Prix and slipped back one place further by the end of the Budapest race on a wretched weekend for Red Bull
Max Verstappen has been told that playing even a small role in the Formula 1 title fight this season is now “impossible”. That is the verdict of Helmut Marko who has also shared what Red Bull “suspect” was the issue which limited the Dutchman’s pace at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
It was a difficult second event in charge for team principal Laurent Mekies. Verstappen qualified eighth but could not make progress in the race and finished one place lower in ninth, while Yuki Tsunoda suffered another Q1 exit in qualifying and, starting from the pit lane with a new engine, did not trouble the points-scoring positions.
Verstappen remains third in the drivers’ standings and the nearest challenger to the runaway McLaren pair of Lando Norris, who won the Budapest race, and championship leader Oscar Piastri. But his result in Hungary saw him add just two points to his total.
Red Bull came into the season hoping to help their star driver to a fifth consecutive title, but long-serving team adviser Marko has now conceded that will not happen. “That’s impossible, absolutely,” he told German-language outlet Speedweek.
Regarding how the race panned out for Verstappen, the Austrian added: “It did not go very well. A pit stop would have been better, because overtaking was really difficult on this track. So maybe sixth or even fifth place was possible.”
Verstappen had complained about his car for most of the weekend and never looked comfortable behind the wheel. Marko believes, though, that the problem was circuit-specific and should not continue to affect them after the summer break.
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He said: “The tyres were not working. I think it was only a concern here and it will not happen again if our suspicion about the cause [of Verstappen’s lack of pace and grip] is confirmed.”
Reacting to his weekend, Verstappen seemed to be in the dark about why his car had been so poor. He said: “It is very complicated to explain. This weekend nothing worked. In Spa, we had a much more competitive weekend. I know we are not on the level of McLaren, who are doing a great job this year, but this is weird for us.”
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The summer shutdown now looms – from next week, and for 14 days, teams are not allowed to complete any F1-related activities and must close down their factories and facilities. But in the time over the summer break that they are allowed to work, Red Bull need to figure out how to get their RB21 working again.
And Verstappen will be at the heart of those internal discussions – not that he was willing to reveal much. He said: “It is a fully open discussion between everyone. There are always a few ideas that you look into. But, of course, I cannot go into detail.”