If you wanted a sign that Max Verstappen has not mellowed with age, Hungarian GP FP1 delivered it within the first ten minutes. A simmering radio rant, a slow-motion act of on-track revenge, and a stewards summons. All before lunch.
The Incident
Verstappen was on his first proper flying lap at the Hungaroring, purple in the first two sectors, when he encountered Carlos Sainz‘s Williams loitering on the racing line approaching Turn 12. Sainz failed to move over. Verstappen dived to the inside, ruined his lap, and was predictably livid.
“These guys are unbelievable. That was really dangerous, like he hit the brakes on purpose.” – Max Verstappen
Here is the twist: Sainz had no working radio. He could not hear his engineers, could not receive any warning that a Red Bull was bearing down on him at full pace. That does rather soften the narrative of deliberate obstruction, though it raises uncomfortable questions about Williams sending a driver out without functioning communications.
Verstappen’s Response Was Not Exactly Blameless
After overtaking Sainz, Verstappen then slowed dramatically and drifted back across the front of the Williams, a move that looked very much like a pointed message. The stewards noticed. Both drivers have been summoned for alleged erratic driving, and Sainz faces a second separate inquiry for a later incident at Turn 9. So he really did make a morning of it.
The smart money says this ends with a reprimand or no further action for both. Stewards are traditionally lenient in free practice, and Sainz’s radio failure is a significant mitigating factor. As we have seen this season, technical gremlins have a habit of creating chaos that drivers ultimately carry the blame for.
The Car Itself Is No Bundle of Joy Either
Verstappen’s irritation did not stop with Sainz. His Red Bull RB22 was giving him fresh headaches, and the radio made that very clear too.
“The downshifts are horrible and the car is bouncing everywhere. The front axle is really, really bad.” – Max Verstappen
This is a near-weekly complaint at this point. Verstappen had already flagged setup concerns heading into the weekend, and FP1 did nothing to ease those worries. He did briefly sit fastest on the mediums, so the pace is not absent. But seventh in the championship, 113 points off leader Kimi Antonelli, is not a position where you can afford a penalty on top of persistent mechanical frustration.
What Happens Next
The stewards will rule before FP2. Expect warnings, not grid drops. But the real story here is not the paperwork. It is that Verstappen’s weekends increasingly begin with anger directed at rivals, his car, or both. At some point, that energy needs to go somewhere more productive.
