Max Verstappen delivered a furious team radio verdict on his Red Bull after spinning at the final corner during qualifying for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. The four-time Formula 1 world champion described the car as “aerodynamically broken” and “completely undriveable” as his difficult weekend at the Hungaroring continued.
Max Verstappen has struggled to find confidence in his Red Bull throughout the 2026 season, and qualifying in Budapest provided further confirmation of those problems. His final flying lap ended with a spin at the entrance to the last corner, leaving him sixth in the original qualifying classification.
Max Verstappen promoted to fourth after Hungarian GP penalties
The mistake came during the closing moments of a session in which Lando Norris secured Hungarian Grand Prix pole position for McLaren. Max Verstappen was initially classified sixth but later gained two positions following the penalties imposed on Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Lewis Hamilton received a three-place grid penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli was penalised for a yellow-flag infringement. Those decisions promoted Max Verstappen to fourth on the revised Hungarian Grand Prix starting grid.
Max Verstappen erupts over team radio after qualifying spin
Moments after spinning at the final corner, Max Verstappen made no attempt to hide his anger over the behaviour of the Red Bull. Laurent Mekies intervened over the radio and tried to calm the Dutch driver.
Max Verstappen: “The car is completely broken aerodynamically. It keeps getting worse! Honestly, it’s a joke. What a shit weekend!”
Laurent Mekies: “It was extremely difficult out there, Max. We know what you’re experiencing, and we’ll try to fix it as best we can tomorrow.”
Max Verstappen: “I’m sorry, but for me it’s completely undriveable. It’s really, really bad.”
The heated exchange underlined the extent of Max Verstappen’s frustration with the Red Bull’s handling. Although the penalties for Lewis Hamilton and Andrea Kimi Antonelli improved his starting position, his radio comments made clear that the underlying problems with the car remained unresolved ahead of the race.
Leave a Reply