Red Bull Racing entered the Formula 1 break with positive signs. Even after facing difficulties throughout the weekend in Hungary, the team secured second place with Max Verstappen and saw Isack Hadjar extend his consistent run of results, having secured P6.
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The performance in Budapest reinforced the internal perception that the team is closing the gap to its main rivals. According to Red Bull, the last four GPs have shown constant progress, with frequent appearances in the fight for podiums.
Verstappen admitted surprise at the result: “It was a really strong day and it’s positive to finish second, although I’m quite surprised with the result, considering the problems we had this weekend,” he stated. The Dutchman highlighted that the start and the first pit stop were decisive moments, in addition to the team’s ability to manage the race with more used tires.
The four-time champion also highlighted that some problems observed in the qualifying session remained during the race: “We were still dealing with the same difficulties we had in the qualifying session. We had some positive moments, but we need to be more consistent in the second half of the season,” he said, praising the collective work that secured the podium.
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Hadjar finished sixth and celebrated his seventh consecutive top-six finish. The young driver assessed that the first stint on medium tires compromised a chance to seek an even better result, but highlighted the performance recovery on hard tires: “We maximized everything that was available today. Another sixth position is a good return for a challenging weekend,” he added.
Team principal Laurent Mekies described the performance as one of the strongest of the season: “We didn’t show this pace earlier in the weekend, but everyone worked very hard at the track and at the factory. Our speed was enough to fight with everyone except Lando (Norris, from McLaren and race winner),” he commented. Mekies also praised Hadjar’s consistency and highlighted that Red Bull goes into the season break convinced that they are on the right track to compete for victories again in the second half of the championship.
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