Red Bull left everyone shocked after their qualifications. The team brought special upgrades in their side pods and aerodynamics for the Hungarian Grand Prix. However, the upgrades seemed to fail during all the segments until the race. Max Verstappen did not lead a single session from FP1 to Q3.
Yet Max Verstappen had found a way to turn his result around for the better. Verstappen took over the race after taking back his position from pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton. He was 28 seconds ahead of Lando Norris who won behind Max Verstappen. Verstappen won the Hungarian Grand Prix making this his 7th consecutive win of the season. Additionally, Red Bull broke the record after winning their 12th consecutive win.
HISTORY MAKERS! 🤯 12 consecutive @F1 wins 🏆 #GivesYouWings pic.twitter.com/2a7t7livbg
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) July 23, 2023
But Max Verstappen’s sudden improvement with the upgrades did not leave everyone smiling. Toto Wolff, after the race called out Red Bull on how fast their car was. Lewis Hamilton had called Red Bull’s pace slower after finishing on pole. However, losing his pole position and not winning a podium left Toto Wolff unsatisfied.
Toto Wolff believes Mercedes to still be the second-fastest car on the grid
Toto Wolff talked about the Red Bull car’s pace after the Hungarian Grand Prix. Red Bull’s upgrades to make the car 2-tenths faster had worked out just the way they wanted. Verstappen had won the grand prix being almost half a minute ahead of the second winner.
Toto Wolff told Crash.net, “That’s where they are. It’s like a field of Formula 2 cars against a Formula 1 [car].”
Toto Wolff went on to talk about how the car was faster than any other. Adding on, he said how their car had been the second fastest car on the track. Although Mercedes did not reach a podium with Perez taking away the P3 from Hamilton by the last lap, Toto still believed Mercedes was the second fastest.
Toto also talked about how Red Bull had done a good job developing the car if they were still working inside the cost cap. On the other hand, he also mentioned how the Mercedes car needed more work. After comparing all the cars on the grid to Formula 2 cars and Red Bull’s car the only F1 car, he mentioned their pace.
The Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton had been only 1.9s away from taking over Perez again. Hamilton was also only 4 seconds away from Lando Norris who broke a 1-2 Red Bull podium. While Max Verstappen took his spot as the winner from Lewis Hamilton, he earned his 104th pole position. Hamilton broke his own record with the most poles in F1 history and continues to hold the record of 8 Hungary victories.