Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has claimed there was no “obvious reason why” it suffered a dip in competitiveness at Formula 1‘s Mexico City Grand Prix.
The Milton Keynes-based squad came into the weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez off the back of three wins in the last four races.
However, since Friday running, the team struggled to extract pace from the RB21, especially in the hands of Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman, who has brought himself firmly back into title contention, could only muster a fifth-placed starting slot for the 71-lap race, finishing third.
In the build-up to the race, McLaren boss Andrea Stella suggested the RB21 was suffering from the low air density at the track and was having to sacrifice aero efficiency for cooling.
Mekies, however, refuted this analysis but also conceded how the team itself has not gotten to the root of its lack of competitiveness yet.
“We were not in the same strong positions here as we have been in the last few races,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“There is no obvious reason why.
“I think the most obvious aspect is that, as you have heard several times on the radios, we couldn’t give to Max a car he could push with as much as he normally does.
“And this has probably slowed us down a little bit. I think we are probably conscious of some of the elements we have left on the table.”
Red Bull hopes to be on a par with McLaren in Brazil
The Interlagos circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Red Bull and Verstappen in the past.
Last season, the 28-year-old delivered a decisive blow to Norris’ title ambitions after winning the weather-hit race from 17th on the grid.
Mekies explained how the team is working hard in the background to understand the reasons for its dip in pace at Mexico, with focus specifically on the race weekend at Sao Paulo.
“It remains the fact that we were less competitive. And understanding why is key to make sure we address that for Brazil and for the next races,” he asserted.
When asked again about Stella’s comments, the Frenchman was adamant that the RB21 was not suffering from any drastic limitations on the cooling side.
“Honestly, as now we don’t know. I wish I could have an answer for you, but we don’t know,” he added.
“Are we pointing the fingers at that aspect right now? No. But equally, we didn’t quite get why it seems that Lando had such a larger competitiveness this weekend.”
READ MORE – Max Verstappen assesses title chances after F1 Mexico GP
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