Red Bull and Max Verstappen are rivals in a different league: Toto Wolff
In addition to reaffirming Max Verstappen’s leadership in the drivers’ championship battle, the Hungarian Grand Prix victory on Sunday also demonstrated Red Bull’s seeming invincibility on the way to a record-breaking win.
The team’s record 12 consecutive victories, including the two-time reigning world champion’s eighth straight triumph, have left its competitors gasping for air—and adulation.
Three lessons from Sunday’s race at the Hungaroring are examined by AFP Sport:
Competitors are compared to Formula Two vehicles by Verstappen’s Red Bull: Wolff
Mercedes were back to square one 24 hours after the jubilant celebrations that followed Lewis Hamilton’s narrow qualifying victory against Verstappen, admitting they felt like distant also-rans.
George Russell, a teammate of Hamilton’s, finished ahead of him in fourth place. Lando Norris, driving for McLaren, and a revived Sergio Perez, driving the second Red Bull, finished second and third, respectively.
Toto Wolff, team captain, remarked, “We could talk each other up and say ‘we could have been and would have been second’.”
“However, it is meaningless since there was a vehicle 38 seconds ahead of you that was presumably cruising most of the time… That is the unfortunate truth.
“We are going to fight back and win races and championships, but we saw the pace Max had and for now that’s where they are — it was like a bunch of Formula Two cars up against an F1 car.”
A Ferrari comeback is a long way off.
After a lackluster performance at the British Grand Prix, Ferrari struggled to find any positives in Hungary, and they endured another weekend of subpar performance and self-inflicted misfortune that does not bode well for the future.
Carlos Sainz finished eighth after qualifying only in eighth place, while Charles Leclerc came in seventh despite a failed pit stop and a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.
They finished ninth and tenth at Silverstone, and it is obvious that the Italian team is no longer among the front-runners as Red Bull, McLaren, Mercedes, and Aston Martin have pushed them into the midfield positions.
“It’s not what we expected, but we were compromised by our qualifying,” team manager Fred Vasseur said. Vasseur has had trouble improving performance since joining the club this year.
“We need time to reflect on our actions and identify our mistakes.
“I’ve worked on the pit wall for the past 35 years, and every Monday, there’s a long list of mistakes — sometimes you can see them, sometimes you can’t.”
The up-and-coming Norris
Lando Norris has spearheaded McLaren’s mid-season comeback and cemented his status as a potential champion and podium finisher after two straight third-place finishes behind his buddy Max Verstappen.
Until he accidently damaged the winner’s distinctive porcelain trophy while pounding a Champagne bottle on the podium to create spray, the 23-year-old Briton did very little wrong at the Hungaroring. Both drivers laughed as they recalled the event.
“Max placed it too close to the edge,” said Norris.
“I suppose it overturned. Not my issue. He owns it.
