Max Verstappen believes the Hungarian GP track is not suited to Red Bull’s strengths and rain could give an advantage to Ferrari.
2021 world champion Max Verstappen is so far enjoying a great title defence. The Dutchman is 63 points clear of his rival Charles Leclerc after having won the 2022 French GP.
Heading to the last race ahead of the summer break, Max need not push his car to the limits. But The Hungarian GP has a reputation of not being a Red-Bull-friendly track.
The Hungaroring is one of the most difficult tracks to overtake. The twisty and bumpy nature of the circuit makes overtaking very difficult. It has been dubbed ‘Monaco without buildings’ in the past.
Due to the short straights and slow corners, the qualifying position and raw pace of the car make a big impact. And at the moment, Ferrari has a faster car than Red Bull.
Moreover, there is expected to be some rain during Saturday’s Qualifying session and Sunday’s main race. This means a lot cannot be predicted even in F1’s most predictable track.
Max and pole position in Hungary.
What a perfect combination! pic.twitter.com/6wb2USW5iy
— davido 🐧 (@davidowashere) July 28, 2022
Max Verstappen likes the track but does not feel it favours the team. He said, “Hungary is a special track. I really enjoy driving here as it’s a bit like driving on a go-kart track. It has a very technical second sector which I like.”
He adds, “It will be interesting to see how the weather impacts us across the weekend. It’s difficult to say how I think we will perform this weekend, it’s not our strongest track but of course, I want a good result and we will try everything we can to win it as a Team.”
Max Verstappen is keen on keeping the Championship lead
Max Verstappen does not have high hopes for the upcoming 2022 Hungarian GP. It does not favour the team’s strengths as the last time Red Bull won in this circuit was in 2014 with Daniel Ricciardo.
The Dutchman has won 7 of the opening 12 races of the season. He is 63 points ahead of the nearest competitor Charles Leclerc. Meanwhile Red Bull has an 82-point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors standings.
Back-to-back wins in Le Castellet for @Max33Verstappen ✌️#FrenchGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/srvhRO2tH5
— Formula 1 (@F1) July 25, 2022
With Ferrari and Leclerc suffering from inconsistent results, Max wants to keep his momentum rolling. With a positive result in Hungary, Red Bull and Max will have one hand on the title ahead of the summer break.
Verstappen said, “I’m looking forward to the summer break. And hopefully, the Team can get time to recover so we can make a strong start to the second half of the season.”
Also Read: Max Verstappen feels lead against Charles Leclerc is bigger than it should be