Max Verstappen described his second place at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix as an “incredible result” after overcoming severe balance problems, tyre degradation and damage to his Red Bull. A decisive overtake on old rival Lewis Hamilton proved crucial as the four-time world champion extracted far more from the RB22 than he had expected.
Red Bull’s competitiveness has appeared only intermittently this season, making the runner-up trophy an encouraging reward before Formula 1 enters its summer break. However, Max Verstappen acknowledged in his post-race press conference that the Milton Keynes team still has a considerable amount of work ahead.
Max Verstappen identifies his only chance to pass Lewis Hamilton
“I didn’t expect to be on the podium, but we worked hard to achieve it,” Max Verstappen said after the Hungarian Grand Prix. “I think the start was good and we made up positions through the first two corners. After the first stop, I caught Lewis under braking for Turn 1, and from there it was simply about surviving with the tyres and making the right strategic decisions. I’m very happy to have finished second.”
The highlight of Verstappen’s race was undoubtedly his expertly executed braking move on Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari. The Red Bull driver recognised that it might be his only realistic opportunity to pass the seven-time world champion and committed immediately.
“I saw that opportunity as my only one and I took it, also considering that we’re good under braking,” the Dutchman explained. “But everything was under control. I knew it was my only opportunity, especially because they aren’t too bad in terms of speed, so I seized the moment and it was a good move.”
The pass helped Verstappen progress towards second place in a race featuring significant late drama. The complete 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix classification placed him behind winner Lando Norris and ahead of Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Red Bull balance problems made Hungary podium difficult to explain
Max Verstappen’s excellent race result did not erase the difficulties he had encountered throughout the Budapest weekend. The four-time world champion continued to struggle with the same unpredictable handling characteristics that had affected him on Saturday.
“I still experienced the same difficulties as yesterday,” Verstappen added after the race. “The car was extremely oversteery and, at one point, it also had quite high degradation. The overtake on Lewis made our race more straightforward, and then the team put me on the Softs. Initially, I thought we wouldn’t make it to the end, but in the end we did.”
“I still can’t understand how we managed to finish second, but I think that, as a team, we played our cards well. When I got out of the car, I also saw that there was some damage for some reason, so it wasn’t easy.”
His description underlined the limitations of the RB22, while making the eventual runner-up finish even more impressive. Strategy and tyre management allowed Red Bull to maximise a difficult afternoon, although Verstappen never felt comfortable with the car’s changing balance.
“I see it as a bit of an overperformance compared with what we expected, but that’s positive considering how I felt,” Max Verstappen admitted. “Honestly, I think it was one of the most difficult races of the year in terms of how I felt in the car and how I had to manage the balance from one corner to another. So the podium is an incredible result for us.”
It was another eventful Hungarian weekend for the Dutch driver, who also attracted attention with an unaired radio message concerning the Racing Bulls drivers.
Max Verstappen outlines Red Bull priorities after difficult first half
After a challenging opening half of the campaign, Verstappen will enter the summer break aware that Red Bull must become more consistent. Although the team has enjoyed several stronger moments, its overall performance has fallen short of the standard required to produce straightforward race weekends.
“It has been a very complicated first half of the year. We’ve had some brighter moments, but overall it has been tough,” Max Verstappen said. “I think we need to try to become more solid and complete so that we can have more straightforward weekends. We also need to find more performance, and we can’t keep having problems with the current package.”
The result nevertheless delivered valuable championship points before the break, with the latest Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship standings providing the wider context for Verstappen’s difficult 2026 campaign.
Isack Hadjar says Medium tyre pace ruined his race
Verstappen was not the only Red Bull driver to struggle with tyre degradation in Budapest. Isack Hadjar also found the Medium compound particularly difficult to manage, although his pace improved significantly when he switched to the Hard tyre.
“I’m satisfied with the start, but then I don’t know what happened with the Medium tyre. I was simply nowhere,” Isack Hadjar said after the race. “I was in Kimi’s slipstream for the first two laps, but after five or six laps, everyone completely pulled away. I think the pace on the Hards was very good with both sets, but we were definitely a long way off on the Mediums, and that ruined our race.”
Despite that disappointment, the Frenchman offered a broadly positive assessment of his first half-season. Hadjar believes his one-lap speed has been a particular strength, although his race performances have remained inconsistent.
“I’m definitely satisfied in terms of overall pace. My single-lap performance has been good during this first half of the year,” Isack Hadjar added in the Budapest media pen. “The race pace has been a little inconsistent, as it was today, for example.”
His development and performances alongside Verstappen have been examined further in an assessment of Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull progress at the summer break.
“In races, I feel competitive 80 per cent of the time, but in the remaining 20 per cent, I’m nowhere. I need to understand why, because I think there are still some weaknesses. When Max puts everything together, he finishes on the podium, and that’s what I’m still missing at the moment.”
Red Bull therefore heads into the break with contrasting emotions. Verstappen’s unexpected second place showed what can still be achieved through decisive driving and effective strategy, but the balance difficulties and Hadjar’s problems on the Medium tyres reinforced the need for a more complete and predictable package when the season resumes.
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