Max Verstappen has expressed that he is not “expecting miracles” in the Formula 1 Mexico City Grand Prix, despite claiming an “incredible” front-row starting position.
Verstappen has been up against it at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez ever since Red Bull unearthed an issue with his engine during the opening practice session.
Despite Red Bull’s conviction that its problem had been resolved, Verstappen reported another gremlin in FP2 that brought a premature conclusion to his involvement.
Red Bull’s technical woes limited Verstappen to 18 laps in total across Friday, placing the reigning F1 champion in the dark about how competitive the RB20 would be.
However, the Dutchman delivered when it mattered as he out-qualified title rival Lando Norris to secure second place on the grid behind Ferrari polesitter Carlos Sainz.
“I did four laps [in practice],” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week. “Two laps on lower fuel and two laps on higher fuel.
“It was basically just a complete write-off, no information.
“For me, FP3 was very crucial. I tried to do as many laps as I could.
“We were behind, the car was not really great, everything was very difficult.
“I knew it was going to be a tough qualifying, but we made some final adjustments, and it started to feel better. But to be in the front row, it’s an incredible result for us.”
Verstappen believes Red Bull rebounding from a “terrible weekend” to mount an unexpected turnaround came down to the team not panicking amid its initial setback.
“I haven’t done any laps, so I think it could only go better,” he expressed. “We’re massively on the back foot.
“So far, of course, it’s been quite a terrible weekend in that sense.
“But to be on the front row, with the difficulties that we had, I think it showed that we stayed calm.
“Just tried to look into the data, to try and understand the car a bit more, and try to just be a little bit more competitive.”
Verstappen explains Q3 lap time deletion
Verstappen’s second attempt was even more impressive as his earlier lap time in the closing session was deleted as he cut the kerb too much on the inside at Turn 2.
“I think it’s always a very fine line around Turn 2,” he explained. “You try to, of course, prepare as well as you can. Sometimes you’re just out, sometimes you’re just in.
“But for the second run, I was probably a little bit more careful in Turn 2 and 3. So it wasn’t as perfect as I would have liked. But at least the lap counted.”
Red Bull’s race pace an unknown in Mexico
Verstappen, who boasts a 55-point lead, has conceded there is a sizeable question mark over Red Bull’s long-run pace due to the restricted track time he has attained.
Asked whether his competitiveness in race conditions was unknown, Verstappen, a five-time race winner in Mexico, responded: “Yeah, it is. I don’t expect miracles.
“I think in Austin, Ferrari was really, really fast. Of course, maybe that weekend, McLaren was not as strong, but then in the race, I think they were so competitive.
“So from my side, yeah, I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out tomorrow.”
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