02/08/2025 20:15
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has demanded answers, with
him insisting that "something is not right" with the RB21 at the
Hungarian Grand Prix. The Milton Keynes-based outfit has faced a
disastrous weekend at the Hungaroring, a circuit it also struggled
at last season. Max Verstappen qualified in eighth despite having
been outside the top 10 in second and third practice, whilst Yuki
Tsunoda suffered a fourth Q1 exit in the last eight races. It has
been a troublesome event for the Austrian outfit, to the extent
that Verstappen after qualifying insisted that "nothing works", no
matter what changes the team make. He did, at least, rescue a place
in Q3, whilst Charles Leclerc stunned the pacesetting McLaren to
pole. "Thank God we still found something," Marko told Sky DE .
"The gap to the leaders has narrowed considerably. "But something
is still not right, because we were faster with used tyres. That
shows something is not right." Leclerc triggers Marko shock Being
quicker on used tyres is unusual in qualifying, particularly at a
circuit like the Hungaroring where grip levels were improving in
the latter stages of the session. Marko was left stunned to see
McLaren beaten to pole, and is intrigued how Sunday will play out
with the surprising starting grid. "Now let's see how this develops
further," added Marko. "Obviously, the lower temperature has
changed a lot. "Charles Leclerc's pole came more or less out of
nowhere, amazing. I didn't think anyone was capable of beating
McLaren at this circuit." Overall, it was a day to forget for Red
Bull; however, Marko has taken confidence from watching the Formula
2 Sprint race that overtaking is possible, as could be a one-stop
strategy. "A tough day, but I think it might be two stops. By the
way, Yuki Tsunoda drove in the points last year with one-stop. "A
lot is possible, we saw that in Formula 2. There it was quite
intense and there was a lot of overtaking. Interestingly enough,
that seems to be easier here [than in Belgium]."
