The McLaren duo yet again outperformed the mighty Red Bull. While Lando Norris won the Miami race, this time, his Australian partner Oscar Piastri won in Hungary. In one of the most dramatic races of the season, Piastri clinched his maiden Formula One win.
However, Red Bull starlet Max Verstappen was left fuming after a disastrous outing. The triple champion lashed out at the team after finishing the race on P5. The Dutchman criticized his team’s strategy while addressing the issues around his RB20.
Verstappen Aserts A ‘Wrong Tire Strategy’ Cost Him The Third Place
Starting third on the grid, Max Verstappen faced a challenging race at the Hungary GP. At the start, he lost out to both McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, after running wide in an attempt to secure P2. Forced to return to the place, Verstappen struggled to maintain the same pace through the mid-stint of the race. He lost positions with Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc during the final stint. The on-track battle with Hamilton diminished his tyre life, and a clash during an overtaking manoeuvre cost him a place to Ferrari.
Throughout the weekend, the McLarens demonstrated a pace advantage and were superior compared to the Red Bull. Although Red Bull seemed competitive on the hard tyre, trailing cars closely in the heat led to a drop in tyre performance. Further, the Dutchman attributed the loss of tire advantage and his inability to secure a third-place finish to the wrong strategy. He had yet to debrief with his team about the strategy calls, which left him unable to understand or justify why the focus was on McLaren instead of covering Mercedes.
Reflecting on the race, Verstappen acknowledged the difficulty of the situation, stating that although they did not have the pace to fight McLaren, a P3 finish was still possible. However, incorrect strategy calls put him at a disadvantage, forcing him to constantly fight and overtake other drivers, which did not work out in the end. The track conditions added to the challenge, as the heat caused the tyres to overheat when trailing other cars, negating any tyre advantage he might have had.
The Dutchman Claims He ‘Saw It Coming’ After A Terrible Hungarian GP
Max Verstappen felt the challenges coming and noted that the day’s hot conditions exacerbated the issues. He explained that when the car lacks good balance, it becomes crucial to look after the tyres. Reflecting on the race, the RBR champion racer admitted that the outcome might not have changed even with different strategies, as McLaren was significantly faster.
Moreover, Dutchman also expressed frustration, suggesting that not everyone on the team was on the same wavelength, which contributed to their difficulties. This lack of cohesion was a significant issue in their overall performance.
