Max Verstappen was very disappointed on Saturday in Budapest after his difficult qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman finished tenth due to an engine problem.
“There will always be weekends where you are not the fastest and you are going to lose points,” said 24-year-old Verstappen in the paddock of the Hungaroring. “But we just had a very good car today. Then we just have to finish first, second or third and not tenth like now.”
Verstappen noticed that he suddenly ran out of power when he pulled out of the pits on his second run. “We tried to solve it, but nothing worked at all,” said the Dutchman, who did not yet know exactly what the problem was.
“But it’s probably something small. We probably don’t have to take a penalty either. And for a tactical penalty I would think it would be a shame to run it here, because overtaking is difficult and therefore you don’t want to start all the way back.”
Despite his disappointing qualifying, Verstappen will still start for teammate Sergio Pérez at the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Mexican stranded in the second part of qualifying and finished in eleventh position.
‘George helped me a lot’
George Russell surprisingly took pole position at the Hungaroring in his Mercedes. It was his first pole position of his career for the 24-year-old Briton, who will make his debut at Mercedes this season. It was also the first pole of the season for Mercedes.
Verstappen was secretly happy that Russell had kept title competitor Charles Leclerc (third) behind. “He has helped me a lot in that regard,” said the World Cup leader with a wink. “But of course it is even more important that he helps me tomorrow.”
Red Bull Racing had made a big step on Saturday compared to the free practice sessions on Friday. “I was positively surprised by that. We analyzed all the data extensively last night, both in the factory and here on the track, because we were not satisfied at all. We adjusted some things, so that the car was a lot better to drive today.”
Behind Russell, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz finished in second place. The Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before the summer break, starts at 3 p.m. on Sunday.