Max Verstappen misses podium for fourth race in a row: “It’s not a surprise, success comes and goes”. Max Verstappen misses the podium for the fourth consecutive race as Red Bull’s struggles continue.

The podium no longer speaks Dutch

It has become a rare sight in recent years to witness a Formula 1 podium without a Dutch flag, a sight to which fans had grown accustomed thanks to Max Verstappen’s remarkable consistency — with no fewer than 117 top-three finishes since making his Red Bull debut in 2016. However, the current technical crisis affecting the Milton Keynes-based team has proven to be too deep for even the reigning world champion to overcome, and Verstappen has been absent from the post-race celebrations since the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

For various reasons, Verstappen has failed to reach the podium in the last four race weekends. In the context of his career with Red Bull, such a negative run has not occurred since a six-race streak between the 2017 Brazilian Grand Prix and the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Looking only at races within the same season, the only worse run dates back to 2017, when Verstappen endured a stretch of 12 Grands Prix without a podium finish, from the Bahrain Grand Prix to the Singapore Grand Prix — a period also marred by several retirements.

Max Verstappen’s words

The ninth-place finish in Hungary, in what was an entirely anonymous weekend for Red Bull Racing, is further proof of the struggles currently facing the team, which is now firmly focused on preparing for the major technical overhaul of the 2026 regulations. Verstappen admitted he has long since stopped believing in his chances of fighting for the 2025 world championship title, and he analysed with calm realism his “return to the dust” this season. “It’s not a surprise, obviously, if we consider the problems we are facing. For about four years I have achieved many good results: success comes and goes,” said the reigning world champion.

“In Hungary we were really slow for the entire weekend. We struggled a lot with grip in the slow and medium-speed corners, and that was also the problem in the race,” he added. “Whatever we would have done, whether stopping once or twice, we would have struggled.”

Ultimately, Max Verstappen opted for a two-stop strategy, but he finished behind several drivers who had made the one-stop tactic work to perfection — including Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, and Liam Lawson. Despite the lack of race pace and the overtaking difficulties posed by the Hungaroring layout, Verstappen still managed to showcase his determination with a series of notable overtakes — some of them aggressive, such as his move on Lewis Hamilton. It was a way for “Super Max” to send a clear message to his rivals ahead of 2026: his hunger for victory remains as strong as ever.