Tensions are running high within the Red Bull Racing Formula 1 team. The opening day of free practice sessions at the Hungaroring circuit proved to be unsettling and troubling for the Austrian outfit. On paper, the layout of the Hungarian track does not perfectly suit the characteristics of the Red Bull RB21. To be fair, even during the 2025 season, Red Bull cars showed limited competitiveness on this tight, technical circuit, a race remembered especially for the collision between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton.
A nightmare Friday for Red Bull
The performance delivered by the four-time world champion Max Verstappen was significantly worse than anticipated. Beyond the absolute lap times, what worries the engineers in Milton Keynes is the instability of the car’s platform, which showed poor grip in the slow-speed corners.
During both the first and second free practice sessions, the two blue racing-colored cars were simply too slow. In FP2, Max Verstappen faced a dangerous situation when a towel was left inside the cockpit, which he then discarded by throwing it trackside. This act, born out of frustration and nervousness, cannot be justified in a positive way.
The stewards’ investigation ended with only a simple warning, but the carelessness on the part of the pit crew for the son of Jos Verstappen is quite serious. In the end, the Red Bull driver defended himself by explaining that if the foreign object had reached the pedal area, the risk of causing an accident would have been a very real possibility.
RB21: extreme setup changes to turn the weekend around
Naturally, the four-time world champion appeared deeply disappointed with the performance shown during the first two hours of free practice. According to the driver from Hasselt, who on Thursday confirmed his presence in the Red Bull team also for the next season—putting an end to any speculation about his future—his car lacked both grip and balance. Practically nothing worked.
The orange racing star emphasized that it will be necessary to understand the reasons behind the many issues that emerged during the first day of running. The minimum objective remains to be the best alternative to McLaren’s dominance and, by extension, to beat Ferrari, which has recently made a competitive step forward with upgrades to their rear suspension.
Together with Max Verstappen’s feedback, the Austrian team has often overturned the clear technical disadvantage shown in the early free practice sessions by working overnight in the simulator to be much more competitive from FP3 onwards. The feeling is that it will be very difficult today to see the Austrian cars among the front rows of the grid, although it is still possible.
Beyond McLaren, the renewed Ferrari SF-25, especially with Charles Leclerc behind the wheel, is also positioning itself as a key player in the internal duel between the two McLaren drivers. In summary, competition with the latest updates seems to have finally reduced the gap to the papaya-colored cars, a role that has often allowed Max Verstappen to battle closely with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. We will see how this unfolds already this early afternoon.
Racing Bull outperforms the “A team”
As if that weren’t enough, the performances of Racing Bull drivers, particularly Hadjar, are putting significant pressure on the flagship Formula 1 program. The same goes for Yuki Tsunoda who, despite the mediocrity of his car, posted the ninth-fastest time in the second free practice session, even beating his teammate. This fact leads to reflection on whether Red Bull might have more resources and potential beyond just Max Verstappen.
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