While Lando Norris, who finished second behind first-time winner Oscar Piastri, still has a respectable gap of 76 points to Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship after the 13th of 24 races, McLaren is only 51 points behind Red Bull Racing in the constructors’ championship.
Verstappen had a day to forget in Mogyorod and criticized his team unusually often on the pit radio. “The strategy was very bad. We have all the information, maybe I need to install it in the car and do it myself,” the triple champion responded smugly.
His race engineer had previously reacted annoyed to the Dutchman’s outbursts of anger. “That’s childish on the radio, childish,” he said.
When Verstappen was asked after the race whether his behaviour on the radio had been disrespectful, he said, loosely translated, to “Autosport” (“They can all f*** off.”).
After a crash with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton, who finished third and celebrated his 200th podium in the premier class, Verstappen had to settle for fifth place. At least he did not receive a penalty from the stewards on Sunday evening for the incident, and neither of the two rivals was clearly at fault.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko showed at least a little understanding. “He expected more from the upgrade,” said the Styrian. In addition, Verstappen is not used to having to fight really hard. “We are leading in both world championships. It’s not as if everything is lost,” added Marko.
Vice World Champion Sergio Perez could become the decisive factor in the battle for the Constructors’ Championship. The Mexican has not made it into the top six for seven races, but in Hungary he improved by nine positions to seventh place thanks to a good strategy after a qualifying crash.
His future with the Austrian racing team will be decided after the coming weekend in Belgium, the last race before the season break. “On Monday after Spa, I’ll fly to England and discuss the procedure with (team boss Christian) Horner,” said Marko.
The 81-year-old explained that the team ranking is particularly relevant for employees due to the financial bonuses that come with winning the title. Various performance clauses in Perez’s contract, which the 34-year-old is currently not fulfilling, could result in an imminent change in the second Red Bull cockpit. Verstappen is behind his colleague in any case. “I support him every weekend. I answer all his questions, including about the setup,” Verstappen emphasized in an ORF interview. “I have a very good relationship with him, that’s no problem at all.”
