Max Verstappen is experiencing significant challenges with the balance of his Red Bull Formula 1 car as the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend begins, struggling to match the pace of rivals during Friday’s practice sessions. The reigning world champion admitted that his RB21 felt “undriveable” and likened the experience to “driving on ice,” leaving him far behind the frontrunners at the Hungaroring.

In the afternoon’s second practice session (FP2), Verstappen finished in a disappointing 14th place, trailing leader Lando Norris by over a second and off the pace of competitors from Haas, Aston Martin, and even teammate Yuki Tsunoda. The Dutch driver described a persistent lack of grip and poor car balance throughout the day, which prompted an urgent review with Red Bull race director Laurent Mekies and the engineering team.

Verstappen Highlights Key Issues with Car Grip and Stability

After the practice sessions, Verstappen conveyed the uncertainty surrounding the car’s poor performance, stressing that the exact reasons for the struggles were still unclear. He expressed frustration over Red Bull’s inability to generate sufficient grip and maintain control, indicating that the team would need to conduct a thorough investigation overnight to identify the root cause.

Today was very tough, just a really low grip feeling and not really a balance in the car, so it’s difficult to say what the exact problem is,

Verstappen said.

Nothing really works, so this is something that we have to investigate overnight. So far, of course, it’s not been our weekend.

I’m sure we can do better, but today was quite bad, so we need to really understand first where it is, and what is causing us to have such a big problem with the car. McLaren looks really on it, they’re flying, but there’s a lot to be [found] to be a little bit closer to P2.

Verstappen’s comments underscored the seriousness of the car’s handling problems as McLaren showed strong pace in contrast. Despite Red Bull’s history of rapid car improvements between sessions, it remained unclear if similar adjustments could bring Verstappen closer to the front running group this weekend.

Towel Incident Draws Warning from Race Stewards

Amid the on-track struggles, Verstappen was also involved in a minor safety incident when he discarded a towel from his cockpit during a session. The towel had inadvertently remained inside the car between runs, and the stewards issued a warning to Red Bull for an unsafe release, as the cloth posed a potential risk of interfering with pedal operation.

It’s just a towel that you normally wipe your face with when you come back in, so it was still in the car when I went out,

Verstappen explained.

Instead of it potentially flying in between my feet, which is the dangerous part, I drove offline and I got rid of it in the safest way possible, so I think the stewards understand that.

Teammate Tsunoda Reports Different Challenges with Car Performance

Yuki Tsunoda, who has yet to receive the latest front wing modifications that Verstappen’s car features, finished the day in ninth place, about eight tenths slower than his teammate. However, Tsunoda described his issues as distinct from Verstappen’s, focusing more on a lack of grip rather than balance problems.

I think the balance itself is not the main issue, to be honest,

Tsunoda stated.

I think where we’re struggling is the grip that I should normally feel, and that’s where we’re lacking. But at least from our side we changed a lot of things into FP2 and it was a bit of a step from FP1.

I’m sure there’s something positive that we can take from Max’s car and my car as well. So we just combine them and I feel like we have to find something, a core limitation that we’re probably missing.

Tsunoda’s remarks suggest that while both Red Bulls face performance issues, the nature differs between the two drivers, which could complicate efforts to fine-tune the setup at the Hungarian circuit.

Impact on Red Bull’s Hungarian GP Prospects and Next Steps

The early difficulties experienced by Verstappen and Red Bull at the Hungaroring have placed pressure on the team to identify and resolve the underlying problems before official qualifying and race day. Verstappen’s frustration reflects the challenge of defending his title when the car’s handling feels unstable, particularly on a track known for demanding precise balance and grip.

With Verstappen third in the championship, maintaining competitive pace is crucial, and Red Bull’s engineering team based in Milton Keynes will be tasked with diagnosing the issues overnight to improve the RB21’s performance. The response in coming sessions will likely determine Verstappen’s chances of contending strongly for points or victory in Hungary.

The Hungarian GP weekend, therefore, begins under a cloud of uncertainty for Verstappen and his team, highlighting the ongoing technical battles in Formula 1 and the importance of swift adaptability to changing track conditions and car behavior.