Max Verstappen says he is hopeful that Red Bull’s impending upgrades will deliver added performance to the dominant RB19 car.
Red Bull has won every grand prix so far in 2023, with Verstappen securing eight wins in the first 10 races.
The RB19 car has proven to be superior to its rivals across race trim, with Red Bull going relatively unchallenged on Sundays.
As other teams look to catch up to the Milton Keynes-based outfit, Verstappen is hopeful that Red Bull can hold onto its advantage with new parts fitted to the car this weekend.
“The Hungarian GP is always an interesting one, last year it was tricky to make the right calls with the incoming rain and colder temperatures, but as a team, we remained calm and made all the right decisions,” Verstappen said ahead of the event.
“We have a couple of upgrades this weekend, hopefully they will do what we expect them to do so we can find extra performance for the upcoming races.
“Let’s see where we stand on a track where you run high downforce with relatively low-speed corners, it’s an amazing track to drive and very technical as well.
“Definitely a place I always look forward to coming back to.”
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Red Bull is set to make visible changes to its sidepod and bodywork design.
It is reported that the new parts will find Red Bull around two-tenths of a second in lap time.
On the opposite side of the garage, Sergio Perez is in need of a strong weekend after failing to reach Q3 at the previous five events.
The Mexican has acknowledged his lacklustre performances and is keen to put himself on the right track this weekend.
“Hungary is an important race for me, because it’s about getting my whole weekend in a complete place,” he said.
“I know I have fallen short in qualifying at times this season, so my focus has to be on having a successful Saturday because I know I have the race pace on a Sunday and an incredible car that should be on the podium every weekend.”
