Max Verstappen, known for his confident demeanor, was strangely wary about his chances at the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix.
After a dramatic qualifying session where McLaren locked out the front row, Verstappen ended up in third place, unable to hide his uncertainty about overcoming the orange cars from Woking. “Errr… I don’t know at the moment,” Verstappen said, adding a bit of awkward laughter. “But what can I do? We’ll try the very best, try to have a good, stable balance with the car. And if I find that I can follow them… But I don’t know,” he continued. Verstappen’s comments reveal a more realistic approach to the upcoming race.
However, the Red Bull champion couldn’t help but express his frustration, especially since he had the team’s most significant upgrade of the season on his car. Despite this, he missed out on securing pole position. “We’re still not first, right? So, we need more. It’s as simple as that,” he remarked, highlighting the areas where Red Bull still needs to improve. “I think looking back at my qualifying, I was very happy with the laps, but balance-wise, everything is really on the edge. I’m pushing as hard as I can, and then of course you have little moments here and there,” Verstappen explained.
Verstappen’s candidness didn’t stop there. He admitted to pushing harder than the previous year, only to find his efforts not yielding the ‘great lap times’ he hoped for. “So then I guess it just means that we are a bit slower and we have work to do. Simple as that,” he concluded. His frustration was evident when he slammed his steering wheel, later defending his reaction by saying, “I’m not allowed to be frustrated?”
Unlike McLaren drivers, Verstappen chose not to participate in the final, pointless two minutes of Q3 after Yuki Tsunoda’s crash. With only used tires left, he decided it wasn’t worth the effort, stating, “I didn’t want to drive any more… I was never gonna improve.” As the race approaches, Verstappen’s tempered expectations and candidness provide an intriguing backdrop to what promises to be a thrilling contest.
Will Verstappen and Red Bull find a way to overcome McLaren’s front row advantage? The answers will unfold at the Hungarian GP. For now, the reigning champion remains cautious and realistic about his chances.
Source: Motorsport
