Max Verstappen believes Red Bull are currently playing catch-up to McLaren, who sealed a lock-out in qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix on Saturday. (More Motorsport News)
Lando Norris clinched his third career pole at the Hungaroring, beating team-mate Oscar Piastri by 0.022 seconds with Verstappen 0.046 back in third.
Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez, meanwhile, crashed out in Q1 and will start the race 16th on the grid, casting further doubt on his future with the team.
Red Bull started the 2024 season with three one-twos in the first four races, while Verstappen came out on top on seven of his first 10 outings.
However, they have seen their sizeable advantage whittled down, with both McLaren and Mercedes pushing hard in recent races.
Speaking after Saturday's final qualifying session, Verstappen said: "I tried, the whole weekend we have been a little bit behind, and I think that was also the case in qualifying.
"I tried to make it as close as possible but unfortunately just not enough, a bit difficult to pinpoint why. I would have liked a bit more grip but it's not there at the moment."
Verstappen finished second at the British Grand Prix last time out, having been fifth in Austria one week earlier – the first time he has failed to win at two straight races all year.
"I love competition but I like being on top of the competition," the three-time world champion added.
"At the moment, I feel like we are chasing and having a few more difficult weekends, I don't back out of a fight but it's just a tricky situation I guess.
"The last few races, especially the McLaren has been really good in the race, even compared to qualifying.
"Today was a lot colder than expected I guess with the clouds and the rain, tomorrow is going to be quite a different day and I just hope that will help us."
