Max Verstappen criticized Racing Bulls drivers Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad over team radio during the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 26, 2026, after being held up while trying to lap the battling duo.
Verstappen, who finished second behind race winner Lando Norris, expressed frustration as Lawson and Lindblad fought for position through Turn 2 despite receiving blue flag notifications from track officials.
The incident occurred as Verstappen fought to hold off Lewis Hamilton.
Untelevised radio audio captured the four-time world champion demanding stewards penalize both drivers for obstructing his line while fighting for eighth and tenth place.
"Oh, they should get a penalty. This is f**king ridiculous, these morons!
My God," said Verstappen.
System Issues and Driver Reactions
Drivers experienced system issues during the race as the track's automated marshalling panels failed, leaving competitors reliant on manual flags, mirrors, and dashboard data.
Lindblad noted that the digital system generated misleading signals throughout the event.
"It's not too difficult, because we have the virtual mirror so we know the car in front and behind, and we can see the gaps, and we have mirrors, which makes it a bit easier," he said.
Lindblad added that the lack of car numbers on the blue flags created extra confusion.
"I remember at one point I was coming around on lap seven, and I saw blue flags for Checo, which, you know, is lap seven, so he can't be that far back.
So I don't really know what was going on with the system," he said.
He explained how he managed the situation using telemetry displayed on his steering wheel. "Then they never showed the numbers.
They just showed a blue flag, which was not the most useful message, but the team helped me out, and I was looking at my deltas on the dash to try to get out of the way to try to not disturb the leaders' race as much," said Lindblad.
Earlier in the Grand Prix, Lindblad had reported Lawson to the pit wall for defensive movement in the braking zone at Turn 1 after making a poor start from the grid.
Racing Bulls race engineer Pierre Hamelin instructed Lindblad to hold position and conserve his tires following the lap-one incident.
"We go straight into the management of the left-front, Arvid. Straight into the management.
We are in a good place," said Hamelin.
Hamelin reiterated the command as Lindblad continued to push behind his teammate. "We stay where you are.
Stay where you are. Manage," he said.
Reflecting on his race performance, Lindblad expressed disappointment with his opening lap while addressing the team's split pit strategy.
"It wasn't a great Lap 1, so obviously I'm not happy with that but I'll look into it," he said.
He conceded that Lawson possessed slightly stronger pace over the course of the Grand Prix.
"The launch was OK but Liam just did me in Turn 1," said Lindblad.
Lindblad noted that the one-stop strategy ultimately proved less effective than the two-stop strategy chosen for Lawson.
"Then from there, I think pace was quite similar – maybe he was a tiny bit quicker – and then on the strategy, it was a bit of a shame that one stop didn't work," he said.
He affirmed that the team's decision to split strategies between both cars made logical sense. "But I fully understand from the team's point of view.
It was a big question mark going to the race," said Lindblad.
The British driver acknowledged how track degradation influenced the final results.
"Then we saw Nico [Hulkenberg] trigger the two [stop] and we decided to split the strategy with the cars, which made sense," he said.
He explained that tire wear prevented him from securing eighth place ahead of Lawson.
"If the hard hung on better, I would have looked like a hero being P8 and unfortunately it didn't, so Liam was the one that maximised," said Lindblad.
Lindblad emphasized that Racing Bulls extracted the maximum available points from the Hungarian weekend.
"So I think from the team's point of view, it was the maximum that was possible today," he said.
He accepted the outcome without frustration regarding the tactical gamble.
"I don't have any regrets about the one stop not working because it could have also been the other way around quite easily," said Lindblad.
Lindblad shared that his pre-race feedback regarding strategy influenced the team's choices.
"I don't know what Liam was asking [in terms of strategy], but I was saying I think it's going to be a two [stop], so maybe I helped him out," he said.
He concluded by noting his preference for a two-stop strategy prior to lights out. "I was saying I think it could be a two.
Even before the race, I was telling them that I think it's going to be a two and the default plan was a one," said Lindblad.
Addressing Verstappen's late-race pass on Hamilton and himself, Lawson clarified that he was on the same lap as the leaders and focused on avoiding contact.
"I was just trying not to get in the way and be too much involved," said Lawson.
Lawson noted he was surprised by the aggressiveness of Verstappen's overtaking maneuver.
"I wasn't getting lapped, so I didn't have to let them go, but I didn't expect him to go by," he said.
The New Zealander acknowledged that the battle disrupted his own race rhythm temporarily. "Obviously, I saw the late lunge.
It ended up costing me so much time behind them, which at the time was a bit stressful, but it was a good move.
It was a very Max move," said Lawson.
Problems with backmarkers affected multiple teams in Budapest, including McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who suffered damage after colliding with Williams driver Carlos Sainz, leading to Piastri's eventual retirement.
"Get out of the **** way, you idiot! Oh my God," said Piastri.
Sainz received a five-second time penalty from race stewards for failing to yield under blue flags during that separate incident.
