Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, acknowledged on Thursday in Budapest that he is concerned about his chances in this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, which Red Bull has not won since 2014.
Despite having a 63-point advantage over Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, the 24-year-old Dutchman said he was aware of his team’s recent track performance at the challenging Hungaroring circuit.
Verstappen triumphed decisively after Leclerc lost control of the race during the French Grand Prix last weekend.
It’s a little bit like driving on a go-kart track here, and the second sector is very technical, which I like, so I really enjoy driving here, he said.
“It’s hard for me to predict how we will do this weekend, though; it’s not our strongest track. We will do everything in our power to succeed as a team because, of course, I want a good outcome.”
When Sebastian Vettel, who started second on the grid, finished seventh for Red Bull, Daniel Ricciardo, who is currently driving for McLaren, took the victory in 2014.
Vettel, a four-time world champion, announced on Thursday that he would be retiring at the end of this year’s racing. His coworkers in the pit lane and paddock paid him warm tributes.
In five attempts, Verstappen has failed to win in Hungary, twice coming in second and once in fifth.
He acknowledged that he is looking forward to Formula One’s yearly vacation in August.
I’m anticipating the summer break, and I’m hoping the team will have time to rest up so we can start the second half of the season strong.
Verstappen finished fifth in Hungary in 2017, and four-time champion Vettel won there in honour of Ferrari.
At the end of the day, he has accomplished so much in this sport that retiring is completely understandable, he said.
“I believe his career has been amazing. He has won numerous races as well as championships. He is a fantastic representative for the sport, of course.
“Because of this and the fact that everyone is getting older and retiring, it was inevitable to see him go.
“And while it’s obviously never pleasant when that time comes, especially for Seb’s supporters, these things do happen.
Everyone has such a limited amount of time in their lives that they work so hard to achieve all these things, so it’s important that he just enjoy his time with the family now.
