Red Bull and Max Verstappen feel heat in Hungary as title race warms up

Max Verstappen won four of the first five F1 races this season, but McLaren and Mercedes have emerged as contenders since. Photograph: Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

A long, hot weekend in Budapest lies ahead at the Hungarian Grand Prix where a testing trial, heavy with import for the top teams is perfectly poised as they look towards what is set to be a fiercely competitive second half of the Formula One season.

Temperatures at the Hungaroring soared to 33C on Friday afternoon,piling the heat on top of the tension in an increasingly hard to predict battle which was scarcely imaginable earlier in the season.