Red Bull’s strategy costs Max Verstappen the pole position at the Hungarian GP, admits Chief Engineer

Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan admits that Red Bull compromised qualifying session to gain advantage on Sunday.

Red Bull’s strategy costs Max Verstappen the pole position at the Hungarian GP, admits Chief Engineer

During the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday, Max Verstappen‘s frustrations emerged due to the balance issues with his Red Bull car, ending his run of poles. Despite his dominant position in F1 this year, he aims to secure another victory in Budapest on Sunday. Despite starting from P2, however, Verstappen still could maintain his remarkable streak of wins this season.

However, Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan confirmed that Red Bull deliberately compromised their car set-up for Saturday’s qualifying session for the race. Monaghan told the media that it was challenging, as they might have heard from the radio conversations. He also mentioned that they weren’t the only ones facing difficulties.

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Looking at their relative lap times, he observed that they weren’t significantly behind either car. He explained that due to the short lap, they had to adjust. Deciding between pushing for the best qualifying result or preparing for the difficulties they might encounter on Sunday. He added that the validity of their decision would become apparent as the day unfolded.

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“If you look at our relative lap times, it’s not as if we’re miles off with either car. It’s a short lap and you make a trade at this circuit, say ‘I’m all out qualifying’ or ‘I need to look towards Sunday and the difficulties that will present’ and as today unravels we’ll see if our trade is valid,” Monaghan explained.

Also read: Lewis Hamilton snatches the pole position from Max Verstappen by a whisker in the Hungarian GP, overjoyed as if it was his maiden P1

Paul Monaghan commends Max Verstappen’s unyielding commitment

Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton, and Max Verstappen after qualifying at Budapest (Image credit: Agencia EFE)

For the first time since the Miami Grand Prix, Max Verstappen missed out on pole position in Hungary by a mere 0.003 seconds, with Lewis Hamilton claiming the top spot. The post-qualifying press conference saw Verstappen openly expressing his frustration with the result. In the same press conference, Paul Monaghan addressed Verstappen’s irritation at the car’s performance.

Paul mentioned that Max is highly motivated and seeks a flawless car setup. He has a keen sense of when the car is performing well, and he feels comfortable driving it. If the car isn’t performing as expected, Verstappen won’t remain silent; it’s not his way of coping with difficult situations.

“Max is aware of all the trades we made going into qualifying,” said Monaghan. “He’s very driven and wants the car to be perfect and he knows when the car is right underneath him and he’s settled. If the car’s not right, he’s not going to just sit there and not say anything,” he added.

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