Red Bull Racing excited to return to the Hungaroring

Both Max Verstappen and Pierre Gasly are keen to get back on track after the German Grand Prix last weekend.
Max Verstappen arrives at the Hungaroring with father JosMax Verstappen arrives at the Hungaroring with father Jos
Max Verstappen arrives at the Hungaroring with father Jos

While Gasly crashed out at Hockenheim on Sunday, colliding with Toro Rosso's Alex Albon in the closing stages as he battled for sixth spot, Verstappen went on to take his second win of the season, closing the gap to Valtteri Bottas in second place in the championship.

Red Bull are often linked with strong performances at the Hungaroring as the downforce is cranked up, but the Tilbrook team have won just twice in Budapest - the last time in 2014 when Daniel Ricciardo took the chequered flag.

Last year, Verstappen retired early in the race - his last retirement in F1 - while Daniel Ricciardo finished fourth for the team after a late clash with Bottas.

Verstappen was the winner last time out in GermanyVerstappen was the winner last time out in Germany
Verstappen was the winner last time out in Germany

Despite the notoriously tight nature of the Hungaroring making overtaking opportunities a rarity, Verstappen is a fan of the circuit and hopes to continue his current momentum.

“I like the Hungaroring," he said. "It’s one of my favourite tracks and I’m looking forward to going there again this year. It’s a very technical circuit and you really have to hit the apexes to position yourself well for each corner. It feels a bit like you’re driving a big car on a small track as it’s so narrow but that doesn’t make it any less fun.

"My favourite corner is Turn 11, the fast right hander, and it’s a nice feeling when you get it right. A good exit from the final corner is also very important as the straight is so long and you have to carry good speed into it.

"Budapest is a beautiful city and there is lots to do in the evenings. The whole team always looks forward to this race, it’s one of the warmest of the year and it’s normally a good track for us.

Pressure mounts on Pierre Gasly after his crash in GermanyPressure mounts on Pierre Gasly after his crash in Germany
Pressure mounts on Pierre Gasly after his crash in Germany

"Germany was one of the most crazy and difficult races for me but it was great to come out on top. We all worked so well together and it’s amazing that the pit crew got another world record, even though they had to do nine pit stops last weekend. Now we go to Hungary ready to give it everything before the summer break!”

Pressure continues to mount on team-mate Gasly though after another retirement as he failed to capitalise on his fourth place start in Germany last week. With questions surrounding his future at the team, Daniil Kvyat's podium finish in the other Toro Rosso did little to ease the speculation that the Russian may indeed replace the Frenchman at Tilbrook.

Gasly though has all eyes on Hungary this weekend.

He said: "In Germany, I was disappointed not to finish the race as there were a lot of points on offer, but we will continue to focus and I’m confident that soon we’ll get our reward.

“Budapest is one of my favourite races on the calendar for many reasons. Firstly, I really like tight, technical tracks with many corners which is exactly the layout of the Hungaroring. Secondly, Budapest brings back a lot of good memories from last year’s race with Toro Rosso. It was my second best result of the year with P6 and I’ve had a lot of good races in Hungary with victories, podiums and pole positions in GP2, Formula Renault 3.5 and 2.0.

"Budapest is also a pretty amazing place, I’ve actually spent some holidays in this city as it has a great atmosphere and I like the warm temperatures. I feel good when I’m there and I’m always excited to race on this track.

"The Hungaroring is the kind of circuit where Red Bull has been pretty strong in previous years and hopefully that remains to be the case this year."

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