Max Verstappen gives worrying Red Bull prediction for Mexican GP

F1 champion Max Verstappen has delivered a bleak verdict ahead of Sunday’s Mexican Grand Prix following a disappointing qualifying performance.

The Mexican GP paddock was abuzz with excitement about Verstappen’s return to the F1 title fight, slicing the gap to Oscar Piastri at the top of the standings from 104 points in Zandvoort to just 40 after COTA.

In fact, Verstappen has won three out of the past five races, with a McLaren driver not standing on the top step of the podium since the Dutch GP.

However, Verstappen’s title charge fizzled during qualifying at the Mexican GP, where the Dutchman was left baffled by Red Bull’s lack of pace.

In the end, Verstappen had to settle for a grid slot of P5 for Sunday’s race, and was nearly five tenths of a second away from Lando Norris, who claimed pole position.

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Verstappen was faced with a mighty task for the race in Mexico, with four faster cars in front of him at a track where it is notoriously difficult to overtake.

Speaking to Sky Sports F1’s Rachel Brookes after qualifying in Mexico, Verstappen was realistic about his chances on Sunday and admitted he needed his rivals to retire for him to make crucial gains.

When asked what the issue had been on Saturday, Verstappen explained: “If we knew, we would change it and unfortunately we don’t.

“We’ve tried so many things and it’s not been good. It’s not the lack of trying, it’s not finding it.

“We went into qualifying trying something again and we didn’t get it quite right in some corners. It made it better in some places, but in other areas more difficult and that didn’t allow me to push.

“I knew from the first run of Q1 that was not going to be it. Basically, everything we tried didn’t really work.

“There isn’t really a recovery drive when you have no pace. I need people to retire in front of me to go ahead.

“Every lap that I did this weekend has not been good. In the short run or the long run it never felt in the window and that is not going to suddenly change tomorrow for the better.”

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