Verstappen Reflects on Disappointing Hungarian Grand Prix, Eyes Zandvoort Rebound
August 3, 2025 – Max Verstappen expressed frustration following a ninth-place finish at teh Hungarian Grand Prix, calling it a “tough” result. The race marked a importent departure from his usual dominance, leaving both the driver and his team searching for answers.
Verstappen started the race from eighth on the grid after a challenging qualifying session. He quickly regained a position from Liam Lawson of Racing Bulls, then overtook Lance Stroll of Aston Martin within the first few laps.However, a steadfast defensive drive from Sauber’s Gabriel Bortoleto forced Verstappen into an early pit stop on lap 18. This undercut strategy ultimately backfired, as traffic hampered his progress and contributed to a two-stop race that yielded a disappointing ninth-place finish.
Analyzing a Difficult Weekend
Post-race, Verstappen emphasized the need to understand the underlying performance issues that plagued him throughout the entire weekend. He’s now turning his focus toward his home race at Zandvoort, Netherlands, following the summer break.
“Unfortunately, the whole weekend wasn’t good for us and we need to understand why that was,” Verstappen stated. “it has been quite tough as we got stuck in between cars during the race and struggled for grip.”
He further explained the imbalance in the car’s performance. “Even though the high speed was okay, the low and medium speed wasn’t good.”
Verstappen acknowledged the need for thorough analysis. “There are a lot of things to understand as the car has been difficult all weekend and we couldn’t turn things around unfortunately. Like we always do, we will analyze everything and take learnings from the weekend to find more performance as we go into Zandvoort.”
looking Ahead: Summer Break and Consistency
The four-time champion is prioritizing rest and recovery during the summer break. He aims to return refreshed and focused on improving consistency.
“Ultimately, this weekend hasn’t gone to our liking, but it is indeed now summer break and I can enjoy time with family and friends and not think to much about the racing side of things,” he said. ”There are manny more races left and we can look to do better after the break.”
Verstappen is determined to rebound. “We want to aim to be more consistent and always try and even though it was a disappointing result we will keep our head up.”
You can expect a determined Verstappen at Zandvoort, eager to put this challenging weekend behind him and reassert his championship form. He and his team will undoubtedly be working diligently during the break to identify and address the issues that hindered their performance in Hungary.
