Max Verstappen endured a tense start to Hungarian Grand Prix FP1, becoming involved in a controversial incident with Carlos Sainz before angrily criticising the Red Bull RB22’s “horrible” downshifts and severe front-axle bouncing. The drama unfolded within the opening 12 minutes of the first practice session, providing an eventful beginning to the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
Max Verstappen quickly found himself at the centre of two separate talking points. The first involved Carlos Sainz, his former teammate during their time together at Toro Rosso, while the second concerned the behaviour of his own Red Bull.
Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz clash in Hungarian GP FP1
During one of his first flying laps of the session, Max Verstappen encountered the Williams of Carlos Sainz in traffic. The four-time Formula 1 world champion was unhappy with the way the Spanish driver had slowed in front of him and immediately expressed his frustration over the radio.
“These guys are unbelievable,” Max Verstappen told race engineer Giampiero Lambiase. “That was really dangerous, as if he had deliberately hit the brakes.”
After passing Carlos Sainz on track, Max Verstappen subsequently slowed in front of the former Ferrari driver in what appeared to be an act of retaliation. The entire sequence was placed under investigation, with both drivers summoned by the stewards to discuss the incident after the session.
Carlos Sainz and Max Verstappen were questioned over alleged erratic driving. The stewards subsequently issued Carlos Sainz with a warning for impeding the Red Bull but decided to take no further action against Max Verstappen for slowing in front of the Williams.
Max Verstappen attacks ‘horrible’ Red Bull RB22 downshifts
Carlos Sainz was not the only source of Max Verstappen’s frustration. As has become a regular occurrence during practice sessions, the Dutch driver also voiced his dissatisfaction with the behaviour of his car and the work still required from Red Bull.
Shortly after the incident with Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen complained about the RB22’s downshifts and the amount of bouncing he was experiencing through the front of the car.
“The downshifts are horrible and the car is bouncing like crazy,” the four-time Formula 1 world champion said over the radio. “I have some really terrible bouncing on the front axle. It is really bad.”
The comments suggested that Max Verstappen was struggling with more than a minor balance problem. Poor downshift behaviour can affect a driver’s confidence and consistency under braking, while severe movement at the front axle can make it more difficult to place the car accurately through the Hungaroring’s long sequence of interconnected corners.
Red Bull faces early Hungarian GP concerns
It was far from the ideal start to a weekend in which Red Bull was expected, at least on paper, to have a realistic opportunity to fight for the podium positions. The team must now determine whether Max Verstappen’s complaints can be addressed through setup changes or whether they point to a more persistent weakness in the RB22.
Red Bull is also facing a competitive field in Budapest. Mercedes arrived confident that the W17 could challenge Ferrari at the Hungaroring, while McLaren introduced a major MCL40 upgrade package for the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Although practice results do not provide a definitive indication of the competitive order, Red Bull will want to give Max Verstappen a more stable and predictable car before the sessions that determine the grid. His early radio messages made it clear that the RB22 was not yet behaving as he expected.
Leave a Reply