2022 Hungarian GP: Post-race reactions from Max Verstappen, Checo, and Red Bull

Defending world champion Max Verstappen drove one of the best races of his career to win the 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix starting from P10 on the grid. Verstappen gained 9 positions in the race on a track historically where overtaking is tough, and Dutchman was awarded the driver of the day for his on-track heroics.

Sergio Perez puts on a show in sister Red Bull to secure P5 after starting from 11th on the grid. Hampered by a technical issue in Q3, Max was denied a final run on Saturday but the World Championship leader and the Team delivered a masterclass of pace and strategic precision to convert a two-stop strategy into a brilliant win almost eight seconds ahead of the lead Mercedes.

Max Verstappen (P1)

“It feels crazy to have won the race today from P10, especially on a track like this where it’s very hard to pass. We made all the right calls today, there were some good undercuts and overall we did a great job today as a Team. This was definitely one of my best races, despite the little 360-degree spin! I’m very happy with the lead that we have, but of course we have to keep pushing and win more races.”

Sergio Perez (P5)

“It is good to go into the summer break strongly. After qualifying it was looking like it could have been a poor weekend for us but we recovered some good points, and it was great fun to have the Mercedes and Ferraris racing up there with us. It was quite a tricky race, particularly towards the end, when the conditions changed and especially during the virtual safety car which meant everyone got cold tyres.

Overall, we were a little unlucky with the VSC because we were potentially going to get Carlos and George and I felt we would have got a lot closer to them towards the end. I felt a lot stronger in the final stint and with a few more laps I think I could have been on the podium with Max. It was a great race though and very fun at times. It was a fantastic recovery for the Team today and it was great to see Max get the win.”

Christian Horner, Team Principal

“It was a fantastic race today. Everyone put in a top performance. Max was exceptional, even adding a little spin to his race as if coming back from 10th wasn’t hard enough. Equally, Checo had a brilliant race and I believe if it hadn’t been for the VSC he would have podiumed. Strategy played a big part in our victory.

We were due to start on the hard tyre but switched things up as a result of the ambient conditions. This win gives us a healthy lead going into the break but there are still areas to improve on. Ferrari are still quick, Mercedes are coming back as you saw today. There is plenty more still to come.”