Max Verstappen doesn’t believe he can go for back-to-back race wins at Formula 1‘s Mexico City Grand Prix as he has conceded that Red Bull has “no pace”.
Lando Norris drew first blood after bagging pole position for the race on Sunday, on a weekend Verstappen hoped to make more ground on the McLaren duo.
The Milton-Keynes-based team came into the race weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez off the back of three victories from the past four rounds.
That said, during qualifying, on Saturday, Verstappen fell substantially short of Norris.
The Briton went on to secure his fifth pole position of the season, almost five tenths to Verstappen, who is slated to start the race on Sunday from fifth on the grid.
“I mean, there’s not much more to say. It’s just been very difficult,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.
“Tried a lot of stuff. It’s not the lack of trying, but yeah, it’s been… It’s been, yeah, not great, let’s say like that. I don’t know, I mean, just no grip.
“[The car] doesn’t turn, I have no traction, it slides. Yeah, I don’t know.”
Last weekend, George Russell even contended that the current ruleset has now rendered the race start as the most important phase of a Grand Prix.
However, Verstappen isn’t bothered by what might happen in the run to Turn 1 on Sunday, citing that Red Bull doesn’t have the pace to hold any places he gains.
“I have no pace, so it doesn’t matter what I do in Turn 1,” he lamented.
“Even if I jump two cars, they will get me in the race. So, I just need to stay out of trouble and just do my own race.
“Every lap that I did, even in the long run, has been weak compared to the cars ahead of me. So, just try to follow, see what we can do.”
Verstappen worried about Red Bull pace
Going into the last five races of the season, the four-time F1 champion has a 40-point deficit to overturn if he wants to bag a fifth consecutive title.
After winning both the Sprint Race and the main Grand Prix in Austin last Sunday, Verstappen was adamant that his championship hopes are only alive as long as the team can win the remaining rounds.
Naturally, he would have been hopeful of keeping his winning streak intact, given his record at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
But as it turns out, this weekend has delivered a brutal reality check for the Dutchman and Red Bull.
“People always think, ah, you have won here five times, so you need to be good here,” surmised Verstappen.
“But last year, we were not good as well. And the years before, we probably had a big advantage to not really suffer.
“And now, definitely, we are not good.”
Nonetheless, Verstappen goes into the race on Sunday hoping to make the best of the hand he has been dealt. That said, the underlying concerns regarding an overall lack of pace might be an ominous sign for his title ambitions.
“You know, if you have an opportunity, you go for it,” he asserted.
“But, yeah, I’m more worried just about our pure pace. That has just not been good this weekend.”
READ MORE — Lando Norris leaves F1 title rivals flailing with stunning Mexico GP pole
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