In FP1 the Dutchman barely made it into the top 10, whilst in FP2 his pace did not improve. In fact, it was worse, with the Dutchman accusing problems of balance that made it feel as if he was driving on ice.

It was during the afternoon practice session that Verstappen seemed to find what appeared to be a towel in the cockpit of his RB21.

The Red Bull Racing driver then, having picked it up, threw it out of his car, an incident that the Stewards took note of to investigate until after the session had ended.

The Stewards have issues the final following his breach of article 34.14 c) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.

For Max Verstappen, Friday in Hungary was likely the toughest of the season. The Dutchman finished only 14th in FP2 and far off the pace compared to McLaren, also complaining that he was driving his RB21 as if it were on ice.

For the Dutchman, however, the troubles didn’t end with his on-track performance.

Midway through the session, the four-time world champion was caught on camera throwing what appeared to be a towel off his car, prompting the FIA to launch an investigation into the incident.

After reviewing the incident, the Stewards have decided to issue Verstappen a warning for his violation of article 34.14 c) of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.  

His Friday may not have been as difficult as Max Verstappen’s, but Lewis Hamilton still won’t be satisfied with ending the day in sixth place at the Hungaroring.

The seven-time world champion finished three tenths behind his teammate Charles Leclerc — a significant gap, especially on a circuit where lap times hover just above the 1-minute-15 mark.  

Speaking to Sky Sports at the end of the day, Hamilton admitted it hadn’t been one of his best days on track.