Qualifying at the Hungaroring proved disappointing for Red Bull. Team principal Laurent Mekies hoped the circuit would suit the RB22 better, but Verstappen will start sixth on the grid while team-mate Isack Hadjar lines up eighth. Verstappen spun at the final corner, summing up the session: "The weekend has been difficult... when instead of the tyres degrading, your car is degrading, then you have a big problem." Over team radio he called it "a joke... what a shit weekend."

Verstappen explained the car developed increasing oversteer and became "impossible to drive," with aerodynamic issues visible in data. Unlike previous crashes caused by the rotating rear wing, this was a different problem: "There's always something different happening." The team saw aerodynamics deteriorating during qualifying, but front wing adjustments were no longer possible.

Asked if he felt desperate facing different problems each weekend, the four-time world champion replied: "No, no, desperate? That word doesn't exist for me anymore. I'm already past that stage. We just let it go and try again tomorrow." After Japan he said he'd moved beyond "all disappointment"; now "desperate" joins that list.