From his Red Bull debut at the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix to the upcoming 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen is preparing to contest his 200th Formula 1 race with the Red Bull Racing Team. The Dutch driver made an immediate impact back in Barcelona, claiming victory on his debut race with the team, which also marked his first career win in Formula 1. Since then, Verstappen has added another 64 wins to his tally, making it a total of 65 victories in 199 races with Red Bull — an astonishing win rate of 32.6%.
In the current 2025 Formula 1 season, the reigning four-time World Champion has claimed victories at the Suzuka Circuit in Japan and at Imola in Italy. He also triumphed in the Sprint Race at Spa-Francorchamps. However, judging by the recent performance trends, celebrating the 200-race milestone with another win may prove difficult, especially given that the characteristics of the Hungaroring are expected to favour a McLaren car that currently shows no significant weaknesses.
Below are the pre-race thoughts from Max Verstappen and Visa Cash App RB driver Yuki Tsunoda, as both prepare for the final round before the summer break.
Max Verstappen reflected on the upcoming event and his long-standing journey with the team:
“This week we are heading to Hungary, and it will be my 200th race with the team, which is amazing. It’s a nice opportunity to reflect on all the success we’ve achieved together over the years, but also to look forward to what lies ahead. This is the final Sprint weekend before the summer break, and it will allow the team to take some time to recover and recharge for the second half of the season.
Spa was a bit disappointing for us. We had prepared for a wet race, but in the end, the race didn’t take place in wet conditions. However, we’ll learn from that experience and aim to improve and continue working on our overall performance. Historically, the Hungaroring hasn’t suited our car particularly well. I do enjoy the technical nature of the second sector, but overtaking is quite difficult here, so we’ll have to make sure we put together a strong qualifying session. It will be extremely important to find the right balance with the car.”
Yuki Tsunoda also shared his anticipation for the final race before the break:
“I’m looking forward to getting back on track this weekend. During and after qualifying in Belgium, the feeling with the car — especially with the updated floor — was very positive. The race didn’t go as planned, but the performance I felt in the car gave me confidence for this final race before the summer break.
As a team, we are working well together. There are still some areas we need to address in order to make the next step forward. This weekend it will be crucial to maintain consistent performance across all sessions so that we can head into the break on a strong note.”
The Hungarian Grand Prix has traditionally placed a strong emphasis on qualifying, as overtaking during the race is particularly challenging due to the tight and twisty layout of the circuit. For Max Verstappen and Red Bull, success in Budapest will depend heavily on starting well up the grid and optimising every element of car setup — especially in the demanding middle sector of the track. As the team looks to close the first half of the season on a high, both Verstappen and Tsunoda will be looking to extract maximum performance to position themselves strongly before the summer pause.
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