Verstappen set target by Red Bull ahead of Norris showdown
Seems simple enough but those McLarens are looking good.
Max Verstappen has been set the seemingly simple task of landing a front-row grid slot for the Hungarian Grand Prix, although faces a mammoth battle with the McLarens.
Verstappen finished almost three-tenths of a second adrift of Lando Norris at the end of the final practice session at the Hungaroring as the Briton’s MCL24 appeared to be on rails in setting his leading time of 1:16.098s.
Team-mate Oscar Piastri threatened the prospect of an all-McLaren front row by finishing just 0.044s adrift, appearing to leave Red Bull and McLaren with work to do going into qualifying.
Verstappen was left shaking his head at the end of his best lap, whilst a second lap on the same set of soft tyres saw him lock u into Turn 1.
The three-time F1 champion, however, did not use a second set of soft tyres at the end of the hour-long session which Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko feels could have made a difference.
“McLaren is very fast, but we only used one new set of soft tyres,” said Marko, speaking to ORF. “If we had used a second one we might have been another two-tenths faster, so qualifying will be very tight.
“[But] Max was far from satisfied, mainly about the qualifying lap. There are two corners where he may not have driven optimally, so it comes down to him still having some room for improvement there.”
Verstappen seeking compromise
Explaining where Verstappen is looking to improve, he added: “He still wants the car to find a better compromise, so you can perform better over one lap, without it being a handicap in the long runs.
“But as I said, the difference is in two, three corners, where Lando (Norris) takes a better line. We will analyse that and then I expect it to be very tight (in qualifying).”
Whilst pole position is always the goal for any driver in a front-running car, Marko will not be too concerned if Verstappen fails to net the top spot on the grid.
“The front row is good enough for us,” he said. “It will be between us and McLaren in the race, and although it’s a very tight circuit, with high tyre wear, overtaking manoeuvres are possible.”
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Toto Wolff provides update on Mercedes’ vacant 2025 F1 seat amid Max Verstappen questions
Toto Wolff gives the latest update on Mercedes’ search for a Lewis Hamilton replacement.
Toto Wolff has provided the latest update on Mercedes’ vacant 2025 F1 seat, stressing the team’s replacement is a “data decision”.
Mercedes still have a seat to fill and are searching for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton, whose blockbuster switch to Ferrari for next season was confirmed back in February, a move which sparked the driver market into life.
Carlos Sainz, the driver Hamilton will replace at Ferrari, has been linked with Mercedes but the Silver Arrows are believed to be leaning towards promoting their teenage prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli into a full-time F1 seat alongside George Russell after just a single season in Formula 2.
“It’s a data decision,” Wolff told Sky Sports at the Hungarian Grand Prix. “Obviously when you look at Kimi, the team hasn’t really found a good grip this year which can happen.
“But he’s seventh [in F2 qualifying] and Ollie Bearman, who’s clearly a very good driver, is 14th, they both struggle with the car. It’s not saying one is better than the other one but they struggle with the car in specific sessions.
“We will see what he’s doing in an F1 car – that’s the most important. As for the rest of the driver market, there is something instinctive that tells me ‘don’t rush’ and I couldn’t even tell you what it is.”
When pushed by Nico Rosberg as to whether he was hinting at Max Verstappen, Wolff replied: “I have a really good relationship with a driver called Nico Rosberg, that was on the peak of his doing, won a championship and then he said he doesn’t want this anymore.
“Things can happen.”
