It will be McLaren against once again Red Bull. Or rather McLaren against Max Verstappen: at the moment the numbers are not in favor of the Dutchman who will not be able to count, once again, on his teammate, sixteenth in qualifying for the Hungarian GP. The championship is increasingly open. There McLaren after placing both cars on the front row in qualifying in Budapest, he dreams of completing the double in order to gain important points from a championship perspective and put an end to the rumors that speak of a non-title team. So far Andrea Stella's team has obtained "only" one victory, in Miami. A result that is difficult for the English team, the result of experience that has not yet been gained. This helps in no small way as Red Bull has been in great difficulty for several weekends. Difficulties that even Max Verstappen accuses.
Verstappen in pursuit of the two McLarens
"I tried. We were a little behind all weekend and I think this was also seen in qualifying. I tried to get as close as possible but unfortunately it wasn't enough" - admits a disconsolate Max Verstappen at the end of qualifying in Hungary. Understanding what is happening to the Austrian team is not that simple. To try to do this in Budapest, a significant package of updates has arrived but the situation does not seem to have improved much, at least in qualifying. McLaren still has a good advantage as demonstrated by the front row and in the race Max will have to be patient as there is still hope over the long distance.
“I find it a bit difficult to find a single reason, I would have liked to have more grip, but I didn't have it. We are still close, we are third and I hope that the car goes well in the race tomorrow so that we can follow the McLarens and see what we can do."
Compared to the start of the championship, Red Bull therefore seems to have lost its advantage. Now it's Max who has to chase the two Papaya single-seaters: “I like the competition but I would like to be in front. At the moment it seems to me that we are the ones chasing. We are returning from some difficult weekends. I'm not backing down from the battle but the situation is a bit complicated. In the last few races, McLaren has done better in the race than in qualifying. Tomorrow there will be different weather and it will be warmer, I hope this helps us.”
