Red Bull Racing will have a lot to reflect on during the upcoming Formula 1 summer break, as the 2025 Hungarian Grand Prix proved to be one of the team’s worst performances in recent years.
While McLaren continued to impress with yet another strong showing at the Hungaroring circuit, nearly every other team left the weekend with something to regret—and Red Bull, in particular, delivered a worrying display in Budapest, ending the race with one of its least competitive results of the past few seasons.
It was already clear by Friday that this was not going to be a positive weekend for the Austrian racing outfit, as both Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda struggled significantly during free practice. On multiple occasions in the past, Dutch driver Max Verstappen had managed to turn things around by Saturday, but this time the expected comeback never materialised.
Japanese driver Yuki Tsunoda, who had recently returned to Q3 in the previous race at Spa-Francorchamps, also failed to replicate that form at the Hungarian Grand Prix. In the race, both Red Bull Racing cars essentially disappeared from contention. Max Verstappen started from eighth position on the grid but was never able to mount a real comeback. In fact, the driver born in 1997 ended up finishing only ninth, behind Liam Lawson.
As for Yuki Tsunoda, the 25-year-old remained at the back of the field for the entire race, finishing only ahead of the two Alpine drivers. After the race, Tsunoda explained that he had sustained damage to his car around the halfway point of the Grand Prix.
“Yes, I damaged the car around mid-race,” Tsunoda told media including F1inGenerale. “It was not under my control, so yes, it cost me quite a lot—practically everything. To be honest, it’s starting to get really frustrating, but it’s definitely something we have to improve on in order to fight during the second half of the season.”
Reflecting on his performance so far in the 2025 Formula 1 season, Yuki Tsunoda added: “I think it’s been a positive first half of the season in terms of pace, especially after I introduced the new upgrade package. And I mean, if you look at the performance since the new floor, I’ve been consistently close to Max from free practice through to qualifying—and that’s encouraging. It’s something other drivers have struggled to achieve.”
“I think I can take that as a positive aspect. But at the same time, we’re aiming to score points, and this weekend in particular has been really tough for us. We definitely need to work hard and come back stronger at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort,” he concluded.
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