Verstappen warns his Mexico weekend could get even worse
Max Verstappen admitted he was fighting an “undriveable” car throughout qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix, describing his Saturday struggles as “bizarre” and warning that things could get even worse in Sunday’s race.
Today, not one lap felt good. No balance, no grip either. I expect it to get worse tomorrow- Max Verstappen
Speaking to Viaplay after finishing only fifth on the grid, the four-time world champion didn’t hold back when assessing his troubled RB21. “Yes, very difficult,” Verstappen said.
“Immediately in the first lap, a very big moment, Turn 9. That sector was just totally not to do. There was no balance, you couldn’t attack. Just sliding, understeer, oversteer. Not good.”
Asked whether the second sector had been the key problem, Verstappen was blunt. “I think we were bad everywhere. In sector 2, you just have to look at my turn. Then you know enough. It was bizarre, bizarre bad in the fast corners. Bottoming on the exit. Only oversteer in [Turns] 9 and 10.”
The Dutchman revealed that his confidence after final practice quickly evaporated once qualifying began. “Yes, it turned out that the others [his rivals] were not quite fully on yet,” he explained. “Today, not one lap felt good. No balance, no grip either. I expect it to get worse tomorrow.”
Pressed on whether that was truly the case, Verstappen didn’t sugarcoat it. “Yes, it’s just like that. All long runs I did were bad. So that’s definitely not going to get better in terms of balance in the quali.”
Marko clears up Verstappen's Mexico GP qualifying setback
Verstappen’s frustration mirrored Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko’s explanation that a raised ride height contributed to the team’s lack of performance. Marko admitted the compromise was made for race stability, but it left the car “too high” and vulnerable in Mexico’s fast middle sector — costing Verstappen valuable time against Lando Norris.
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