Max Verstappen has acknowledged serious issues with the Red Bull RB21 after a difficult qualifying session at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Starting from eighth on the grid, he expressed concern that the team’s struggles are rooted in a “fundamental issue” with the car.
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache remarked that “nothing is working” during the weekend, and team advisor Helmut Marko confirmed the team still lacked explanations for the RB21's poor performance at the Hungaroring.
Verstappen revealed that he had tested multiple set-up configurations, but none yielded improvement, saying: “We’ve tried a lot of different things, but at the moment nothing is working.”
He dismissed suggestions that the track was to blame, recalling that Red Bull had qualified third at this circuit last year, just four thousandths off pole position.
Verstappen made clear that his criticism applied specifically to this weekend’s situation at Hungary.
Asked if he could still secure another win this season, Verstappen replied: “No, not the way things are going right now. That’s just the way it is. It’s clear.”
Acknowledging he is effectively out of title contention, he said that becoming angry would not help speed up the car.
Verstappen also commented on McLaren’s strong performance, noting surprise at Charles Leclerc’s pole position for Ferrari and the improvement shown by McLaren drivers.
He declined to compare Red Bull’s past dominance with McLaren’s current pace, pointing out that such judgements depend on driving both cars.
With evident concern building around Red Bull’s performance, Verstappen’s frank assessment highlights a weekend to forget as the team heads into the summer break.
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