Historic win for Max in Hungary: 'Today was perfect'

Published on 23 July 2023 by Stefan Meens

Max Verstappen claimed a seventh consecutive win after dominating the Hungarian Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who started the race from second on the grid, took the lead from pole sitter Lewis Hamilton as the pair headed into turn one. Once in front, Max maintained top spot for the remainder of the race, crossing the line 33 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris. 

Max’ Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Sergio Perez completed the top three, securing the team’s 250th podium in Formula 1. Meanwhile, Max’s 44th victory of his career extended Red Bull’s winning streak to twelve in a row, a new record, bettering McLaren’s eleven wins on the trot dating back to 1988.

“I really enjoyed today, the car was really good from lap one”, reflected Max after the race. “We finally had a really good start. When I was on the inside, I knew that I would have the corner. I braked late and thankfully it worked out. After that, I could drive my own race.” 

Earlier in the weekend Max struggled to find balance in his RB19, but on Sunday, the car appeared on rails. “We struggled yesterday to get the tyres in the right window. We struggled over one lap. Maybe because of the temperatures today, it turned out to be the right set-up. Yesterday I had a bit of understeer in qualifying, but with these hotter temperatures, it worked well in the race. I’ve had no issues and the car was great regardless of the tyre compound and we were able to create a big gap.” 

Although Max is not one to revel in broken records, the Dutchman does appreciate the winning streak Red Bull has produced. “To win twelve races in a row is fantastic for the team. What we’ve done the last few years is unbelievable. Hopefully we can maintain this momentum for a long time. Working together with the team is really nice. It’s good to keep pushing, like after qualifying. But a day like today is just perfect.” 

Although the winning margin was the biggest in two seasons, it was not an easy race. “It was pretty warm and I can definitely feel my legs. I could’ve taken it easy in the final stint, but I wanted to see what was in the car. I saw the gap extend to 20 seconds, 25, 30... You just keep going. I’m not sure we can emulate the same result next week at Spa, but who knows. Ultimately, it’s about winning, not about how the big the gap is.” 

When the lights go out at 3pm local time, Max enjoys a good start and is able to pass Lewis Hamilton on the inside of turn one to take the lead. The latter also has to give way to the two McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with the former taking the early advantage. 

Further back, Carlos Sainz is the biggest mover after starting outside the top ten. The Spaniard rockets to P6 with his Ferrari making the most of the soft Pirellis.  

Near the back of the grid, Alpine loses out big time, with both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon having to abandon their races following a skirmish into turn one. Guanyu Zhou is held responsible for the incident after hitting the returning Daniel Ricciardo. Because of this collision, the Australian AlphaTauri driver rams into the two Alpines, ending the French’s outfit’s weekend prematurely. 

At the front, Max is able to comfortably extend his lead to the two McLarens. Lewis Hamilton, still in fourth, is the first of the front runners to make a pit stop. The seven-time champion does so in lap 17 and switches from the medium to the hard Pirelli tyres. Norris follows a lap later and is able to undercut McLaren colleague Piastri to take second place. 

Leading the race, Max waits until lap 23 to exchange his mediums for a new pair of hards. The Dutchman maintains the lead ahead of Sergio Perez, who has yet to make his first pit stop, but has made up a lot of ground after a poor qualifying. 

After the first round of stops, Max leads ahead of Norris, Piastri and Hamilton with Perez and Russell working their way up to the top five after starting from further back. 

Once the second set of pit stops are completed, Max cruises to victory, with Lando Norris holding off the charging Perez to maintain second. The Mexican has fought his way past Hamilton and Piastri to secure a double podium for Red Bull Racing, a fitting end to a historic weekend for the Milton Keynes based outfit. 

Results Grand Prix Hungary: