Lindblad and Lawson respond to Verstappen’s ‘morons’ fury

Max Verstappen's volcanic radio outburst during the Hungarian Grand Prix became one of Sunday's defining flashpoints, but the two Racing Bulls drivers caught in the Dutchman's crosshairs insist the chaotic circumstances left them navigating an impossible situation.

Verstappen was left fuming after losing valuable time while trying to lap teammates Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad, branding the pair "morons" over team radio and even calling for both drivers to be penalized.

At the time, the Red Bull star was desperately trying to protect second place from a charging Lewis Hamilton. But from the Racing Bulls cockpit, the picture looked considerably less straightforward.

Lindblad points to blue-flag confusion

The Hungarian Grand Prix was disrupted by a temporary failure of the circuit's marshalling system, which meant the usual illuminated blue-flag panels were unavailable. Drivers instead had to rely on manual flags, mirrors, dashboard information and radio guidance from their teams.

Lindblad explained that while he was doing everything possible to avoid interfering with the leaders, the system itself created confusion throughout the race.

"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 explained.

"I think it's more for the cars that were coming through, that it was just a bit of a shame, maybe. But yeah, it wasn't ideal.

"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.

"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."

Those issues coincided with Verstappen arriving behind the Racing Bulls pair as they battled each other through the opening sector, forcing the reigning world champion to wait longer than expected before clearing both cars.

Lawson had the best seat in the house

Lawson found himself caught in an equally awkward position later in the race while running directly behind Lewis Hamilton, with Verstappen rapidly closing on fresher tyres.

The Kiwi suddenly became an unwilling spectator as Verstappen launched one of the race's boldest overtaking moves, diving past both cars in one sweeping attack that briefly brought him alarmingly close to Hamilton.

Rather than focusing on Verstappen's frustration, Lawson admitted he was simply trying to avoid becoming part of the incident.

"I was just trying not to get in the way and be too much involved,” commented Lawson. "I wasn't getting lapped, so I didn't have to let them go, but I didn't expect him to go by.

"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."

• Read also: F1i Driver Ratings for the 2026 Hungarian Grand Prix

While Verstappen's angry radio messages grabbed the headlines, Lawson and Lindblad's accounts painted a more nuanced picture of the confusion caused by the faulty marshalling system.

With blue flag situations harder to interpret than usual, both Racing Bulls drivers insisted they were doing their best to stay out of the leaders' way – even if Verstappen's view from behind suggested otherwise.

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