Max Verstappen surprised by second place at Hungarian Grand Prix
Max Verstappen finished second at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix, a result he described as unexpected. Throughout the weekend he struggled with the Red Bull RB22, reporting severe over‑steer, balance issues, gearbox glitches and rapid tyre degradation. He also noted damage to the car’s bodywork after the race. Starting fourth after grid penalties to Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen was able to gain an early position, but was undercut by Hamilton after the first pit‑stop. He reclaimed the lead into Turn 1 with a decisive overtaking move on Hamilton, which proved pivotal. Later, a virtual safety car following Oscar Piastri’s gearbox failure allowed Verstappen to stay out on older soft tyres while rivals pitted, preserving his track position for the podium. Team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged the podium but warned that the RB22 is still far from ideal, and Red Bull Ford’s power unit performance exceeded the team’s own expectations despite lingering reliability concerns. The Dutch driver expressed ongoing surprise, saying he “still can’t understand how we ended up second.”
Entities: Arvid Lindblad · Hungarian Grand Prix · Hungaroring · Lando Norris · Laurent Mekies · Lewis Hamilton · Liam Lawson · Max Verstappen · RB22 · Red Bull Racing
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 6 SOURCES] Verstappen called Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad “morons” on team radio. (OK)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Verstappen’s Red Bull RB22 suffered over‑steer, balance and gearbox problems throughout the weekend. (OK)
- [● 23 SOURCES] Max Verstappen finished second at the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. (multiple articles)
- [● 18 SOURCES] Verstappen overtook Lewis Hamilton into Turn 1 after the first pit‑stop. (race commentary)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Lando Norris won the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix. (multiple articles)
- [● 19 SOURCES] Max Verstappen said he still doesn’t understand how he managed to finish second. (Verstappen post‑race comments)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Oscar Piastri retired with a gearbox issue, promoting Verstappen to second place. (source)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Verstappen chose not to pit during a late virtual safety car period, preserving his track position. (source)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Grid penalties to Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli moved Verstappen up the starting grid. (qualifying report)
- [● 11 SOURCES] Verstappen stayed out during the virtual safety car, preserving his track position. (race strategy commentary)
- [● 12 SOURCES] Verstappen reported extreme over‑steer and handling balance problems with the RB22 during the race. (Verstappen radio/press comments)
- [● 12 SOURCES] Oscar Piastri retired with a gearbox failure, promoting Verstappen to second place. (race report)