Here's the thing that's got to sting for Red Bull Racing. They're the only big team yet to score a win in 2026, and it's not like they've been close. Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren have all tasted victory, but the Milton Keynes squad has been left empty-handed so far this season. The Hungarian Grand Prix gave them a glimmer of hope though, with Max Verstappen managing a second-place finish that frankly exceeded everyone's expectations given how awful the car's been all weekend.

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Verstappen didn't mince words about the RB22 struggles. The car's handling issues, topped off with that macarena rear wing acting up and throwing him off the road, made Hungary feel like a masterclass in damage limitation rather than a genuine performance showcase. He qualified sixth after spinning in qualifying, then somehow clawed his way to the podium through sheer racecraft. The Dutchman himself couldn't quite believe it afterward, admitting he didn't understand how they'd managed second given how dreadful the car felt.

Red Bull's struggles trace back to two main issues. First, they spent so much firepower on last year's title charge that they fell behind the prep curve for 2026 compared to Mercedes and Ferrari. Second, switching to their new Ford power unit in-house was ambitious and resource-hungry, even if the actual performance has been better than anticipated. The reliability's been dodgy though, and getting off the line cleanly took some figuring out. Compare this to last year: Verstappen had already bagged two wins by round 11 and sat third with 155 points. This season, he's sixth with 109 points and his best result is still that solitary second place.

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Team principal Laurent Mekies reckoned the Hungary result proved the squad's execution was firing on all cylinders again. They'd suffered rough starts early in the campaign, but recent races showed they could nail the pit strategy and leverage opportunities when rivals stumbled. Oscar Piastri's retirement and some brilliant tactical calls got them over the line. It's a sign that even without raw pace advantage, Red Bull's championship pedigree still counts for something when the chips are down.

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The silver lining here is that the team sees genuine potential in the second half. If they can keep nailing execution and the Ford power unit settles down, there's no reason Verstappen can't start climbing that points table and add some wins to the tally before season's end. Right now though, they're playing catch-up, and that's a position Red Bull hasn't known for years.

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