Max Verstappen warns Red Bull against complacency as McLaren secures front-row lockout in Hungary: "Some people do need to wake up a bit"

Red Bull Max Verstappen claimed that some team members needed to 'wake up' after Red Bull failed to match rival McLaren's performance around the Hungaroring for the Hungarian GP this weekend. The three-time world champion finished within a tenth of the pole time of Lando Norris but had used two extra sets of soft tires to eventually finish P3 in the qualifying session.

The Dutch driver was the closest to challenging the McLaren duo of Norris and Oscar Piastri but never looked like beating them throughout the weekend despite Red Bull bringing a major upgrade package to the track.

Speaking with GPBlog after the qualifying session, Max Verstappen discussed the challenge on the Austrian team's hand in the 2024 season with rivals outperforming on the track. He said:

"I think they [McLaren] also looked very strong in the long run. Of course, they have been for the last few races. I don't suddenly see us being stronger there either. At least with me, they know I don't make excuses. I am always realistic about that. Maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength."

"But I think some people do need to wake up a bit. I don't need to go into details who that is. In the beginning, they were always second or third, but is it that they are going to win, maybe be first and second or first and third." he added.

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Max Verstappen previews his chances for a race win in Budapest

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen said that his long runs in the FP2 sessions were 'nothing special' and he was realistic about his chances for the main race on Sunday.

In his post-qualifying press conference, the 26-year-old said:

"I don't know at the moment. But what can I do? I mean, we'll try our very best. Try to have a good, stable balance with the car. And I hope if I find that, that I can follow them. But I don't know."

"I mean, 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 yeah, we'll see tomorrow. I mean, it's what it is."

Max Verstappen will be gunning for a third successive race win at the Hungaroring on Sunday, having previously won in 2022 and 2023 starting from P10 and P2, respectively.

Despite facing stiff competition from his rivals, the Dutch is still leading the driver's championship from Lando Norris by over 84 points with half of the 2024 season already done. Red Bull, although, have a relatively difficult challenge on their hands with Ferrari being 73 points and Mclaren being 81 points behind in the constructor's championships.