Hungarian GP: Max Verstappen punches Red Bull steering wheel after McLarens set qualifying pace

“If I’m not showing emotions anymore then I don’t care about myself – so I do care a lot,” says Max Verstappen after taking Red Bull pace frustration out on his steering wheel; watch Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 at 2pm, with build-up from 12.30pm

Max Verstappen punched his Red Bull steering wheel in frustration after qualifying behind the McLarens in third for the Hungarian Grand Prix – with F1’s world champion describing his newly-upgraded car as “still not fast enough”.

In a Hungaroring qualifying hour complicated by rain and two red flags, Verstappen was denied a place on Sunday’s front row by Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri with the McLaren drivers putting their in-form team in control of at least the start of the 70-lap race on a circuit where overtaking is difficult.

Verstappen still came within a whisker of the front row – he finished just 0.024s behind second-placed Piastri and 0.046s adrift of pole-sitter Norris – on a weekend so far dominated by the rapid McLarens. On-board footage from the end of the Dutchman’s final Q3 lap showed the championship leader slapping his wheel with his hands.

Asked after qualifying what had led him to do that, a characteristically frank Verstappen told Sky Sports: “I’m frustrated just because we are not fast enough, and it has been for a while like that.

“This weekend we brought quite a few upgrades to the car and we’re still not fast enough. So, yeah, if I’m not showing emotions anymore than I don’t care about myself – so I do care a lot.

“So just frustrating. I felt like I tried everything I could to try and get pole, I know it’s very important around here also and for the championship, and we just lacked pace again.”