Delighted Max Verstappen praised Red Bull chief strategist Hannah Schmitz for masterminding epic Hungary GP victory in 2022

After winning the Hungarian Grand Prix in 2022 from an extremely unlikely position, Max Verstappen was filled with praise for Hannah Schmitz, Red Bull's Principal Strategy Engineer, who played a major role in the victory.

Verstappen began his ascent from the tenth position on the grid and along with the Dutchman's skills and the powerful RB engine, Schmitz's strategic knowledge guided him to the top of the podium. After the race, the 25-year-old praised Schmitz and said:

"Today, I think Hannah, our strategist, was insanely calm. Yeah, she’s very good. You can’t afford many mistakes. It’s of course very hard to always be on the good side, let’s say it like that. But I think we have a lot of good guys and girls in the team."

The Hungarian Grand Prix victory was one of the most amazing displays of his talent by double-world champion Max Verstappen. The win in Hungary almost sealed his second championship as well.

During his final lap in qualifying, Verstappen faced power issues and couldn't compete for pole position. He started the race from P10 on the grid and still managed to win it.

---

How did Hannah Schmitz's brilliance help Max Verstappen win in Hungary?

The 2022 Hungarian Grand Prix was a mixed session, which meant both the dry and wet compounds had to be used by teams. These situations can be tricky and often lead to strategic complications for teams.

Ferrari suffered the same, which was the reason why, even after having a clear shot at winning the race, Charles Leclerc couldn't even finish on the podium. Despite other drivers struggling with the hard tire compound, Leclerc was given the same, which slowed him down, and then yet another pit ended his hopes of winning the race. However, this wasn't a problem for Red Bull.

Max Verstappen's pit strategy was so well-executed that even after spinning and losing position to Leclerc, he was able to catch him and ultimately win the race. His teammate Sergio Perez, who started the race on P11, finished P5 because of the team's brilliant strategy.

Hannah Schmitz was able to perfectly analyze the situation that the team was facing and her expertise was a big reason why Max Verstappen was able to drive Red Bull to victory and win the world championship later in the season.