Max Verstappen airs Ferrari concern to ending Hungary hoodoo hopes

Max Verstappen, France, 2022 — Photo: © LAT Images

Hungarian Grand Prix

Verstappen airs Ferrari concern to ending Hungary hoodoo hopes

Red Bull driver expects to be on the back foot in Hungary

Will Gray

Friday 29 July 2022 09:10

Max Verstappen has played down his chances of ending his Hungary hoodoo after conceding rivals Ferrari will be “super strong" around the Hungaroring.

Verstappen won the last race in France after Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc crashed out to extend his championship lead to 65 points.

The Dutch driver, on the backfoot after missing out on pole and failing to find a way past Leclerc in the early exchanges before dropping off the pace, is expecting to be even further behind on this occasion.

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“Personally, I think it’s going to be a little bit harder for us, purely one-lap performance especially,” he said. “I don’t expect it to be terrible but I do think Ferrari is going to be super strong here.

“Of course, they have been the whole year, but I do think this is a track where they might be very strong. We’ll see."

With regard to the threat of rain for qualifying, Verstappen added: "I don’t know what is going to happen, how much rain is falling, but all these things can come into play and it can do many things to the result.”

Verstappen relishing tricky track in Hungary

Verstappen, who has 27 grand prix victories to his name but is yet to win in Hungary, notably limped home ninth last year following a first-corner pile-up.

The 24-year-old, whose best results were as runner-up in 2019 and 2020, remains a fan of the circuit since he first sampled it in a Formula Renault car in 2013.

“[I have] good memories every year, so I am always very happy to come back," added Verstappen.

“I even come back sometimes to do some private testing because I think it’s an amazing track.

"It’s very technical and if you make a mistake in one corner, especially in sector two, you are not normally well positioned for the next. It’s really just a good combination of corners in a row.

"Of course, you try to win every single grand prix. This one hasn’t really been done yet, but we will see what to do.“