Max Verstappen and Lando Norris — Photo: © LAT Images

Hungarian Grand Prix

Verstappen celebrates 'incredible' win for Red Bull despite earlier 'struggles'

Dutchman flies to seventh consecutive victory after predictable race at Hungaroring

Lauren Sneath

Sunday 23 July 2023 18:27 Updated: 18:40

Max Verstappen has commended Red Bull after an ‘incredible’ record-breaking win, but said that his one-lap pace was a ‘bit of a struggle’ over the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.

The two-time world champion took a predictable win at the Hungaroring, holding off Lando Norris in the McLaren.

The victory marks the team’s 12th win in a row, and Verstappen’s seventh, breaking F1 records.

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Yet Verstappen still felt that the one-lap pace left something to be desired, although he conceded that the car ‘was good on any tyre’.

After the race, Verstappen told Sky Sports: “Yeah, finally we had a really good start. Very happy with that, we’ve been working on that quite a bit to try and really get the good bite [of the clutch].

“Then I knew of course, when I had the inside, that corner was mine.

“It was just late on the brakes, heavy car, so luckily it all worked out well and basically from there onwards I could do my race. Today the car was really really quick."

Max Verstappen took a predictable win at the Hungarian Grand Prix

He added: “I think over one lap this weekend it was a bit of a struggle, but maybe it was probably a good thing for today.

“The car was good on any tyre, we could look after the tyre wear and basically that’s why we could create such a big gap.”

What 12 wins means to Red Bull

Verstappen was excited about the feat achieved by the team, calling the day ‘perfect’.

He continued: “For the team, 12 wins in a row is just incredible.

“What we’ve been going through the last few years is unbelievable and hopefully we can keep this momentum going for a long time and also just to work with the whole team is always very enjoyable.

“Of course, it’s always good to look into like yesterday, for example, to keep pushing, always wanting to do better. But then a day like today is just perfect.”