Verstappen was helped by a superior strategy that saw him avoid using the hard compound post-race tire for traction during reconnaissance laps on the grid, prompting a change in plan for the race. Instead, Ferrari saw their race unravel after running race leader Charles Leclerc hard, sparking a drop off the pace that eventually saw him finish sixth. Asked by Autosport about the importance of relying on the pit wall to make or break strategy, Verstappen said it is “incredibly important if you want to fight for a championship” and cited the role of Schmitz, who serves as chief strategy engineer of Red Bull. . “You can’t afford too many mistakes,” Verstappen said after the race. “It is of course very difficult to always be on the good side, let’s put it that way. But I think we have a lot of good guys and girls on the team. “Today, I think Hannah, our quarterback, was insanely calm. Yes, she is very good.” Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18 Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool Ferrari claimed after the race that they had no chance of winning in Hungary due to their struggles in the cold conditions, having also seen Carlos Sainz slip out of podium contention despite avoiding the hard tyre. Verstappen wasn’t sure Red Bull had a pace advantage over Ferrari, saying it was “choosing the right tires at the right time” that led to his race win. “We know our car is, in general, quick, but I think throughout the race, Ferrari were also very quick, they just made the wrong call with the hard tyre,” Verstappen said. “There are still many things we can look at, what we can do better. “I think the match itself was of course very good. I mean you start 10th, to win the race on a track like this is of course very, very good. But there are many things that we will analyze. “There are always some areas where we could have done better. But overall, of course, I’m very happy with today.”
