Max Verstappen makes shock request after Red Bull horror show

Max Verstappen has requested that rain does not fall during the Hungarian Grand Prix, with the Dutchman hoping for a dry race at the Hungaroring. 

Red Bull has endured a disastrous weekend in Hungary, to the extent that Verstappen had to settle for eighth on the grid. 

Yuki Tsunoda suffered a fourth Q1 exit in the last eight races, although was only 0.163s slower than his team-mate in the first part of qualifying. 

Both Red Bull drivers have encountered major grip issues, resulting in a dramatic loss of performance. 

Discussing Red Bull's grip issues, Verstappen told select media, including RacingNews365: "It's not running all weekend, so in that area [I feel] the same.

"Sometimes you think the balance is actually not very bad yet, in terms of a lot of understeer or oversteer. 

"But you just have zero grip, you can't attack corners and can't get on the gas. Nothing actually..."

Following qualifying, Verstappen was very vocal over the difficulties with the RB21, similar to how he reacted to qualifying in seventh last season at the Italian Grand Prix.

Asked if qualifying felt as bad as Monza last year, Verstappen stated: "In my opinion it was. It wasn't long ago... Monza was also really bad. 

"I also have little confidence that things will improve a lot during the race. I just don't have any grip, so then you're just sliding. I also have more tyre wear, so that doesn't really help either."

Interestingly, the weather looks set for a significant change ahead of the race, with heavy rain forecast. 

This has usually been a blessing for the four-time world champion; however, he is hopeful the showers stay away from the circuit.

"I never expected it to be our best weekend, but this was too tough. With the feeling I have in the car now, I'm also definitely hoping it doesn't rain."