Verstappen admits Red Bull 'not quick enough' after challenging Friday at the Hungaroring

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull has significant work to do ahead of qualifying after the team endured a difficult opening day of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, with both drivers struggling to find the right balance in changing conditions.

Although Verstappen finished second in the opening practice session and fourth in FP2, the reigning world champion was unable to match the pace of Ferrari, which comfortably topped both sessions at the Hungaroring.

Friday was not without incident for Verstappen. During FP1, he was impeded by Carlos Sainz while on a flying lap and responded by moving ahead of the Williams driver before slowing in front of him. The incident was investigated by the FIA stewards, who decided to take no further action. Later in the afternoon, Verstappen also struck debris on the circuit but was able to continue without apparent damage.

Reflecting on the day's running, Verstappen admitted the RB26 was difficult to drive: "It was a bit difficult to find a good balance in the car today.

"We just need to try to tidy that up a little bit and make sure we can get a good lap out of the car for Qualifying and then for the long runs as well."

The Dutchman believes there is still performance to unlock overnight: "We will need to look into what we can do overnight and how we can find more performance in the car.

"We will analyse everything with the team and see if we can make some positive changes. Hopefully, that will help us find some improvements going into FP3 and Qualifying tomorrow."

Team-mate Isack Hadjar enjoyed another solid Friday, finishing fourth in FP1 and sixth in the afternoon session. The Frenchman completed aerodynamic testing early in the opening practice before switching to the team's regular programme.

Hadjar felt Red Bull had a competitive package in the morning but said the stronger winds in FP2 made it difficult to judge the effects of setup changes.

"It was a tricky one today. The conditions were tough on the car out there, particularly in FP2 when the wind picked up quite a lot."

He added that the team had lost some clarity after making setup changes between the sessions.

"The car we had in FP1 was good, and in the long run the pace was there, but after making changes for FP2, the conditions ramped up and it made it difficult to get a solid read on the data."

Like Verstappen, Hadjar acknowledged Ferrari currently has the upper hand but remains optimistic that Red Bull can close the gap.

"The car is there, but the Ferraris are very strong around here, so we've got some lap time to find overnight. We have a good idea where we can improve, and hopefully we can make a few changes to take a step forward tomorrow."

Technical director Pierre Waché echoed his drivers' concerns, describing Friday as a demanding day due to the combination of low grip, a dusty surface, bumps and changing wind conditions.

"A more challenging day today. The grip is very low, it's dusty and very bumpy. The massive change in the wind in the afternoon made it even more complicated and it was a tough session for the drivers."

Waché explained that the Hungaroring's characteristics force Red Bull to run a relatively stiff setup, making the car particularly sensitive.

"We have to run the car quite stiff here and that leads to a similar feeling to the ground effect cars of the last generation. The drivers were not happy with the balance, we are not where we want to be yet and it's clear that we are not yet quick enough."

He added that the narrow operating window means even small disturbances can have a significant impact: "When the cars are on the edge, like they are for everyone, then the smallest perturbation can upset things."

Despite the difficulties, there was one encouraging development. Red Bull successfully completed a full day of running with its latest rear wing specification.

"On a more positive note, we ran the new iteration of the rear wing here all day without any issue."

Looking ahead to Saturday, Waché is confident the team knows where improvements can be made but expects the weather to remain a key factor.

"We have a lot of work to do tonight, but we already know where we can improve. We will go step by step and see where we get to tomorrow in FP3. I think the wind will once again make things challenging for everyone, so adapting to the conditions will be key."