By Bilal Ahmed
Max Verstappen has attributed his recent spin during qualifying to issues with “car degradation,” describing his vehicle as becoming “completely undriveable” by the end of Q3. The four-time world champion lost control of his car in the final corner during his last qualifying lap, resulting in a sixth-place start on the grid.
Verstappen noted that the entire weekend had been challenging, with the car’s performance deteriorating throughout qualifying. He explained that the problem was not tyre degradation but rather the car itself degrading, making it increasingly difficult to manage. He expressed frustration, stating that the car began to oversteer significantly, and each subsequent lap in qualifying felt worse than the last.
Challenges with Car Performance
During a radio exchange with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen stated that the car felt “completely broken aerodynamically” and was continuously worsening. He described the situation as a “joke” and a “shit weekend,” highlighting the severity of the issues he was experiencing. The driver later reiterated that “massive degradations in qualifying” rendered the car undriveable.
Verstappen emphasised that the lack of consistency in the problems made them particularly hard to resolve. He mentioned that different issues kept arising, which he considered the biggest problem at the moment. This qualifying session marked the third time in the last four rounds that Verstappen had spun during a competitive session, including a crash in Q3 at the Red Bull Ring and a spin during the final laps of the British Grand Prix.
He further elaborated that the car’s rear felt “non-existent” in the final corner, making it uncontrollable in certain entries. Verstappen indicated that this trend was not new, but the specific problems seemed to vary, complicating efforts to find a solution. He noted that while he is generally adept at identifying car issues, the current situation was particularly challenging.
Team’s Perspective and Future Outlook
Laurent Mekies, the team principal, offered words of encouragement to Verstappen, acknowledging the difficult conditions on the track. He assured Verstappen that the team understood his feelings and would strive to fix what they could for the upcoming race. Verstappen, however, maintained that the car was “completely undriveable” and that the degradation in qualifying was substantial.
Pierre Wache, Red Bull‘s technical director, admitted that the drivers were dissatisfied with the car’s balance after qualifying. He explained that the track had low grip, was dusty, and very bumpy. Wache also pointed out that a significant shift in wind conditions during the afternoon further complicated matters for the drivers. He noted that the car had to be run quite stiff, which created a sensation similar to previous ground effect cars.
Wache added that when cars are pushed to their limits, even minor disturbances can disrupt their performance. On a more positive note, he highlighted that the team successfully ran a new iteration of the rear wing throughout the day without any issues. Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, also experienced a spin in the RB22 during the second qualifying segment, and expressed disappointment with the team’s lack of progress over the weekend.
Verstappen concluded that the car’s continuous worsening performance, lap after lap, made it increasingly difficult to complete a clean lap. He stressed the importance of addressing these issues for the race, as the car is currently not in a driveable state. He plans to review the data to understand the loss in aerodynamics, which he observed was progressively deteriorating.
The 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix grid was set following qualifying.
Source: racefans.net
