Budapest (AFP) – Max Verstappen made it clear that he and Red Bull will not let their drive levels down as they seek more wins, titles and records after taking a commanding victory in Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Issued on: 23/07/2023 – 17:56
2 minutes
The two-time defending world champion and runaway leader of this year’s title race produced a crushing performance at the Hungaroring, where he came home 33.7 seconds ahead of McLaren’s Lando Norris.
It was his seventh consecutive victory, ninth in 11 races this year and 44th of his career, and a record 12th consecutive victory for Red Bull, as well as the 250th podium in Formula 1.
“It’s amazing,” said the 25-year-old Dutchman.
“What we’ve experienced in the last few years is incredible and we hope we can keep this momentum going for a long time.
“Just working with this whole team is always very nice. Yesterday, for example, we know we have to look at it like always, but we will keep trying, wanting to do better. But today is perfect.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, who praised Verstappen’s form, said: “As a kid, I remember watching McLaren achieve this feat and thinking we’ve done it better now!
“It’s something that all the team here in Budapest and behind the scenes in Milton Keynes have worked really hard for and it will mean a lot.”
Verstappen’s win takes him to 281 points and a 110-point lead in the drivers’ championship over his Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, while Red Bull are 452 points ahead of Mercedes with 223 in the constructors’ championship.
He added: “Finally we’ve had a really good start and I’m really happy with that. We’ve been working on it a bit to try and get a good bite.
“I did and of course I knew I had the inside line so that corner was mine.
“It was late with the brakes and a heavy car, but luckily everything worked out. And from there I was able to make my run and today the car was really fast and fun to drive.”
He added that the team would work harder on its upgrade package and performance after a slightly disappointing qualifying when he was beaten on pole by 0.003 seconds, ending a run of five consecutive poles, by seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes.
“I think for one lap this weekend it was a bit difficult, but maybe that was a good thing! The car was good on any tire and we could also take care of tire wear and that’s basically how we created such a big gap today.”
© 2023 AFP
