Red Bull has been dominating Formula 1 for the past few years. After winning the 2021 World Championship, there has not been a race where they have proven to be leading. The Red Bull’s star driver, Max Verstappen, has led every race so far. The Dutchman won his first-ever World Championship in 2021 after battling with Lewis Hamilton. After his first win, he proved himself once again after winning 15 of the 22 races in 2022.
Verstappen became a two-time World Champion and now fights his way through for his third title. His Red Bull team has been pronounced to be an unbeatable team, until their new upgrades in the car. Red Bull, who announced they were already working on their next year’s car, decided to also bring a few upgrades for their Hungarian race.
However, Red Bull managed to get a P2 in their qualifications with their star driver, Max Verstappen while Sergio Perez finished in a P9.
This would be Sergio Perez’s first qualification since his Azerbaijan win. However, his team brought upgrades for their side pods and aerodynamics which were going to make the car 2-tenths faster. Yet these changes seemed to have changed the Red Bull car for the worse. After Max Verstappen’s P2 finish in qualifications, the upgrades seemed to have not made a difference.
Max Verstappen fails to beat Lewis Hamilton for pole
On the other hand, Lewis Hamilton beat Max Verstappen’s lap by securing a pole position for the race. This pole position marked Lewis Hamilton’s 104th pole position beating his very own record. Mercedes made a comeback with this pole position leaving both the Red Bulls in the back. Lewis Hamilton once again became the driver with the most pole positions in the history of Formula 1.
1⃣0⃣4⃣ Poles
9⃣ Poles at a single circuit@LewisHamilton = GOAT 🐐 #F1 #HungarianGP #TeamLH https://t.co/3tI0GHZcYv— Rob Myers (@RobLMyers) July 22, 2023
But this left Red Bull wavering from P2 and P3. The Hungarian qualifications and practice marked Red Bull’s first session where they haven’t led a single segment. This would also be Max Verstappen’s first time this season. Red Bull has stayed out of first place from the FP1 of the Hungarian Grand Prix to the Q3.
Red Bull hasn’t led a single session/segment in Hungary so far – FP1, FP2, FP3, Q1, Q2, Q3. A first for Red Bull and Max Verstappen this season.
The last time that happened was at the 2021 São Paulo Grand Prix. Any guesses who won that day? 👀
[@f1statsguru] #F1 #HungarianGP
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 23, 2023
After the upgrades that Red Bull had been confident about tanked, Lewis Hamilton took back his place in the pole position. The seven-time World Champion started from the front of the grid with Max Verstappen right on his tail. Lando Norris also started from the front of the grid after securing a P3 for the qualifications.