Red Bull’s Max Verstappen was frustrated by a power unit problem that prevented him from qualifying higher than 10th.
The reigning world champion and current championship leader will line up 10th for Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix after suffering a powertrain problem that ruled him out of the final race in Q3.
Verstappen made a mistake during his first run in the final part of qualifying that put him 1.3 seconds off the lead after the Red Bull driver went through Turn 2.
Taking to the track to make his second, more determined run, he encountered the power supply problem and despite the best efforts of race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to persuade him to fix it, Verstappen was powerless both literally and figuratively when he started his last flying tour.
Doomed to start in midfield at a circuit known for its difficulties in overtaking, Verstappen chose to focus on the positives of seeing Red Bull join the battle for pole after being off the pace in Friday practice.
“I don’t think it’s a big problem, but something we couldn’t resolve in time. It’s very unfortunate,” he told Sky F1 after qualifying.
“I think the turnaround from yesterday was amazing, I think the guys and girls in the factory as well, there was a lot of analysis to understand what didn’t work so well yesterday.
“In a way, it’s a positive for today. We understood what went wrong and today the car was much better in terms of handling on a track that really doesn’t suit us.
“So it’s a big advantage for the rest of the year anyway that we can, even at a track where we’re not as strong, be competitive.
“Of course, I would still like to start in the top three and I definitely think we had the speed for that because even in Q2 we looked very strong, comfortably. So yes, [it was] good twist.”
Red Bull boss Christian Horner has shed some light on the issue facing Verstappen, which is unlikely to have any implications for Verstappen in terms of power usage or penalties going forward.
As a result of the lower-than-expected grid place, Verstappen said Sunday’s race will be all about patience in trying to push forward.
“Unfortunately, the little mistake we had has us starting 10th,” he said.
“It can be hard if you’re stuck, I hope it’s not too long! But we just have to stay calm and wait for our moments to move on. We just have to work and be flexible.”
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