Verstappen unsure if Red Bull ‘good enough’ for Hungary GP pole

Despite ending Friday practice less than one-tenth of a second off top spot Max Verstappen says he still isn’t certain his Red Bull package can challenge for pole position for the Hungarian Grand Prix.

After seeing Red Bull teammate Daniel Ricciardo top the morning session, Verstappen missed out on finishing FP2 as the fastest driver by just 0.074s to Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

While Verstappen feels optimistic with the RB14 at the Hungaroring, which is a track less dependent on outright power, he says he can’t be certain if he is in the fight for pole position this weekend.

Both Ferrari and Mercedes have additional engine power modes which they use in qualifying that typically leaves Red Bull trailing with its Renault engines by a few tenths of a second over a single hot lap.

“The car was good but I hope it’s going to be good enough for pole,” Verstappen said. “I don’t know at the moment.

“Our car is good, but we lose a lot on the straight unfortunately. So, we have to work even more on our car to try and get a bit more of an advantage. I think we can still gain a bit more out of the car.”

Verstappen is still pleased with the progress Red Bull has demonstrated at the tight and twisty Hungary track, following on from Ricciardo's domination in Monaco which shares circuit characteristics, and is hopeful for a strong race weekend ahead of the summer break.

“I feel better than expected,” he said. “We’ve gathered some data so we’ll see what we can do for tomorrow and Sunday. It’s going to be warmer on Sunday so we’ll have to take that into account.”