Max Verstappen missed out on the pole position during Qualifying ahead of the Hungarian GP as he finished P3 in a session affected by rain and multiple crashes. The Hungaroring being a difficult track to overtake on, made the result even more disappointing for the Dutchman and Red Bull. However, Christian Horner relied on past records at the circuit and gave Verstappen hope for a win on Sunday.
The last three pole-sitters in Hungary failed to convert the result into a victory; Lewis Hamilton, in 2021 and 2023, and George Russell in 2022.
Horner said,
“It’s a strategic race, I don’t think pole won for the last four years, so let’s see. We got a good race car, I think we focus the setup more towards the race, so we’ll see how that plays out tomorrow.”
️ | Christian Horner on tomorrow’s race
“It’s a strategic race, I don’t think pole won for the last four years, so let’s see. We got a good race car, I think we focus the setup more towards the race, so we’ll see how that plays out tomorrow.”
[F1 TV] #F1 #HungarianGP pic.twitter.com/QdYi2Sp1v2
— RBR News (@redbulletin) July 20, 2024
On Saturday, Verstappen’s first run in Q3 was not good enough to outperform the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who finished P1 and P2 respectively. The Dutchman would likely have made another attempt to grab the pole, had it not been for Yuki Tsunoda’s crash which brought the red flag out with a little over two minutes remaining.
As it turns out, Red Bull decided against sending the 26-year-old out for another run because he did not have a fresh set of soft tires.
Starting from P3 on the grid, Verstappen will have to hope for a strong race pace to help him pass the two McLarens at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Verstappen has an outside chance of winning the Hungarian GP
Horner felt that the Hungarian GP would be decided by strategies made on the pit walls. At the same time, if Norris and Piastri engaged in a battle for the lead themselves, Verstappen could capitalize.
However, Norris emphasized the importance of playing the team game and ensuring McLaren held positions to secure a 1-2 finish.
️| Oscar’s post-qualifying interview in Hungary!
so happy for the team! let’s see what tomorrow brings pic.twitter.com/y2XPODSYWF
— Piastri Updates (@PiastriNews) July 20, 2024
On the other hand, Piastri was eager to signal his intentions of going for his maiden F1 win.
While the team could manage to situation partly over the team radio, the ultimate decision to fight or hold back rests with Piastri. Verstappen for one, will be hoping that the Melbourne-born driver goes after his McLaren teammate from the very get-go on Sunday.
