"We were in with a shot of the pole" - Red Bull looking forward to 'busy race tomorrow' after disappointing 2022 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying 

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was dejected after a disappointing 2022 F1 Hungarian GP qualifying session for the team. While Sergio Perez was knocked out in Q2, reigning world champion Max Verstappen could only muster a P10 after his RB18 suffered mechanical troubles in Q3.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 post-qualifying, Horner reflected upon his team's performance, saying:

“It was very unfortunate. We lost Checo [Sergio Perez] in Q2, he got in a bit of traffic at Turn 2 and then, actually, Max [Verstappen] felt a lot more comfortable with the balance of the car today and I think we were in with a shot of the pole.”

He further said:

“A lock up on the first run into Turn 2 immediately put us on the back foot but we still felt confident we could have a crack at it but then unfortunately a power-related issue on his [Verstappen] out lap. He was obviously trying to reset sensors and so on to cure it but unfortunately, it wasn’t to be.”

The 48-year-old Briton, however, was magnanimous in his praise for pole-sitter George Russell of Mercedes. Expecting a tough race tomorrow, he said:

“No representative time in Q3 for Max and 10th and 11th on the grid, so it is going to be a busy race tomorrow, but congrats to George Russell on his first pole, that was a pretty tidy lap.”

It now remains to be seen how a P10-P11 start in tomorrow's race fares for the team-driver combo that is leading their respective championship standings at the moment.

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Red Bull terms Ferrari 'a very well-respected competitor' for 2022 season, in contrast to 2021 rivals Mercedes

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen feels there is a sense of 'respect' when it comes to his team's rivalry with Ferrari this season. His comments appear to be in stark contrast to the Red Bull-Mercedes rivalry of 2021, which reached its tipping point multiple times throughout last season.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1 ahead of the 2022 F1 Hungarian GP weekend, Verstappen said:

“First of all, Charles [Leclerc], I know very well, he’s a nice guy, we are similar age, I think we’re only three weeks apart. And I think also we are fighting a very well-respected competitor in terms of Ferrari, the way they go about, the way we are fighting.”

He continued:

“When they win a race, we can go to them and say, well done, and when we win a race, they can say well done and I really respect that... We are hard competitors on the track, and we will always try to beat each other, which I think is very normal, but outside of it, you can have a good time as well, and that’s what I really enjoy about this year.”

While the Red Bull-Ferrari rivalry has appeared to be amicable so far this season, experts predict that things are bound to change once the championship reaches its final stages.