"If I'm not showing emotions anymore then I don't care about myself - so I do care a lot," says Max Verstappen after taking Red Bull pace frustration out on his steering wheel; watch Sunday's Hungarian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm, with build-up from 12.30pm
Saturday 20 July 2024 20:00, UK
Max Verstappen punched his Red Bull steering wheel in frustration after qualifying behind the McLarens in third for the Hungarian Grand Prix - with F1's world champion describing his newly-upgraded car as "still not fast enough".
In a Hungaroring qualifying hour complicated by rain and two red flags, Verstappen was denied a place on Sunday's front row by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with the McLaren drivers putting their in-form team in control of at least the start of the 70-lap race on a circuit where overtaking is difficult.
Verstappen still came within a whisker of the front row - he finished just 0.024s behind second-placed Piastri and 0.046s adrift of pole-sitter Norris - on a weekend so far dominated by the rapid McLarens. On-board footage from the end of the Dutchman's final Q3 lap showed the championship leader slapping his wheel with his hands.
Asked after qualifying what had led him to do that, a characteristically frank Verstappen told Sky Sports: "I'm frustrated just because we are not fast enough, and it has been for a while like that.
"This weekend we brought quite a few upgrades to the car and we're still not fast enough. So, yeah, if I'm not showing emotions anymore than I don't care about myself - so I do care a lot.
"So just frustrating. I felt like I tried everything I could to try and get pole, I know it's very important around here also and for the championship, and we just lacked pace again."
Since threatening to continue their record dominance of F1 from last season at the start of this year with four wins in the opening five races, Red Bull have since seen their rivals consistently close down their long-held pace advantage and, on the evidence of Saturday at the Hungaroring with McLaren, wipe it out completely.
That turnaround has occurred despite Red Bull continuing to bring regular upgrades to their RB20, including a relatively significant package this weekend at the Hungaroring.
"I was hoping for more performance, but it is what it is," said Verstappen when asked about this latest development parts, which included revised sidepod and bodywork, including front wing.
"Maybe we didn't optimise it, I don't know, but we'll see in the coming races."
Speaking in the post-qualifying press conference, Verstappen added: "For sure they work but they're still not first, right? So we need more, it's as simple as that.
"Looking back at my qualifying I was very happy with the laps but balance-wise everything seems to be on the edge.
"I'm pushing as hard as I can and then of course you have little moments here and there. I feel like I probably push harder than last year but it's just not coming anymore to have these great lap times. So I guess it just means we are a bit slower, so we have work to do. As simple as that."
Despite the disappointment of qualifying, Verstappen will still likely remain a big factor at the front of Sunday's race as he bids for a third consecutive Hungarian GP win.
He won the 2022 race from 10th on the grid and last year's from second.
Indeed, McLaren boss Andrea Stella even suggested the Red Bull driver "remains the favourite" for Sunday when the sweltering weather of Friday is poised to return.
But when that view was put to him, Verstappen quipped: "He must have seen a different timing sheet then!"
The Dutchman, who leads Norris by 84 points in the Drivers' Championship at the halfway mark of the 2024 season, added on his race prospects: "I don't know at the moment - but what can I do?
"We'll try the very best, try to have a good stable balance with the car and I hope if I find that I can follow them. But I don't know.
"Honestly, my long runs have been ok but nothing fantastic or special. I think it's better to be realistic than sitting here and spreading false hope. But we'll see [on Sunday], it is what it is."
Verstappen will once more find himself as the sole Red Bull in the fight at the front of a race after team-mate Sergio Perez's growing woes only deepened on Saturday when the Mexican crashed in Q1.
The Turn Eight incident, which saw the Red Bull spin off and hit the barriers, came two weeks after a mistake in similarly drizzly conditions dropped Perez out at the same stage of qualifying at Silverstone.
Perez was already under growing pressure for his Red Bull seat, less than two months after signing a new contract, following a run of 15 points in six races and he will now start this race no higher than 16th on a track that is one of F1's toughest to overtake on.
He made no excuses afterwards and admitted his form was "something we need to change quickly" with one more race weekend in Belgium to go before the sport's summer break.
"I'm obviously very disappointed because the weekend has been really strong up to now," Perez, who had been fourth fastest on Friday, told Sky Sports F1.
"It hurts to let your whole team down, but at the end of the day I'm determined more than ever to get back where we belong as a team."
He added: "It's a massive job [on Sunday]. There's a long race ahead of us, so I think I just have to shut the external noise down and focus on the job.
"[It] was the best Friday of the season, so we are definitely making progress. Our time will come.
"Unfortunately, it's just one after the other. I'm conscious of that and it's something we need to change quickly."
Sunday July 21
7:20am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Porsche Supercup
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday - Hungarian GP build-up
2pm: The HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Hungarian GP reaction
5pm: Ted's Notebook
Next up for F1 is the Hungarian Grand Prix from Budapest on July 19-21. You can watch every session live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership - No contract, cancel anytime
