Max Verstappen lamented the lack of grip and overall qualifying performance ahead of the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix. Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, the Dutchman admitted that despite Red Bull’s strong track record in Mexico, qualifying fifth was a disappointing result.
In 2024, Verstappen had also started behind the McLarens and later clashed with Lando Norris, paving the way for Carlos Sainz to take victory. This time, the reigning world champion could manage only fifth on the grid, while his teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, will start tenth.
Verstappen acknowledged that past success at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was no guarantee of a repeat this year. He felt that the RB21 struggled for grip and traction throughout qualifying, making it difficult to extract the car’s full potential. He reckoned he tried his best to maximize performance, but the lack of grip made turning into corners particularly challenging.
When asked by Sportskeeda if his past successes at this track offered any consolation or hope for race success, Max Verstappen replied,
“We were not good here last year. People always think I’ve won here five times, so you need to be good here. But last time we were not good as well, and the year before we probably had a big advantage to not really suffer, and now we’re really not good.”
Explaining his qualifying session further, he added,
“I mean, there’s not much more to say. It’s just been very difficult. Tried a lot of stuff. It’s not the lack of trying, but yeah, it’s been… not great, let’s say that.”
On the issues with his car, Verstappen said,
“I don’t know. I mean, just no grip. Doesn’t turn. I have no traction. It slides.”
Despite his disappointing qualifying result, Verstappen remains hopeful about the race. Red Bull introduced a revised floor and an updated aerodynamic package on Verstappen’s RB21 for the Mexican Grand Prix. The circuit demands heavy kerb riding, and the team’s decision to run a lower ride height may have compromised their qualifying performance, but it could prove advantageous in race conditions.
Asked by Sportskeeda if the new floor helped in any way, Verstappen said,
“It was difficult to say when you have a weekend like this. That’s also something that we need to analyze.”
When asked if he believed he could make up ground during the race, his response was simple:
“Yep.”
Currently, Max Verstappen trails Oscar Piastri by 40 points and Lando Norris by 26 in the drivers’ standings. With Norris starting on pole and three cars separating the two on the grid, Verstappen will need a strong result in Mexico to stay within contention heading into the sprint weekend in Brazil.
In the Constructors’ Championship, Mercedes sits second with 341 points, followed by Ferrari on 334 points, and Red Bull close behind with 331 points. The fight for second place remains exceptionally tight and is expected to intensify over the coming rounds.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/f1/we-re-really-good-max-verstappen-gives-blunt-verdict-red-bull-disappointing-f1-mexican-gp-qualifying
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