Max Verstappen suffers Liam Lawson 'indignity' after dismal Red Bull display

Max Verstappen suffered an "indignity" in finishing behind Liam Lawson in Hungary, according to Martin Brundle.

Verstappen was only ninth in Budapest to round out a tough first half of the 2025 season in which Red Bull has badly struggled with its RB21 car and sacked team boss Christian Horner in July. 

In Hungary, Verstappen was eighth in qualifying, but actually slipped behind his former team-mate Lawson in the race after the Racing Bulls driver pulled off a one-stop strategy to Verstappen's two. 

It is the first time in 2025 that Lawson has finished ahead of Verstappen in a grand prix where both have been classified, coming after the New Zealander was axed by Red Bull after just two races, in Australia and China. 

Lawson has now scored points in three of the last four after making a breakthrough in Austria, and was the lead Red Bull family driver in a grand prix for the second time in four races, something Brundle felt was an "indignity."

"Verstappen wasn't having much of a day either, his Red Bull lacking pace as soon as his tyres overheated," Brundle began in his Sky Sports F1 column. 

"He started eighth and finished ninth, along with the indignity of being behind his earlier in the season short-term team-mate Liam Lawson, who drove the sister Racing Bulls car into a fine eighth place. 

"[These are] difficult days at Red Bull."

Is it over for Verstappen?

After the race, in which Verstappen fell to 97 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed it was "impossible" for the Dutchman to retain his title for the fourth time. 

But do you agree with Marko's assessment?

Simply let us know by voting in the poll below and let us know your thoughts in the comments!