Max Verstappen conceded that his shot at Formula 1 championship glory was hampered after the Mexico City Grand Prix, saying it is “going to be tough” to retain the title.
The Dutchman came through from fifth on the grid at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez to finish third, two places ahead of Oscar Piastri, but two behind winner Lando Norris.
Verstappen might have finished second ahead of Charles Leclerc, but a late Virtual Safety Car ruined the Red Bull man’s chances of overtaking the Ferrari on the last lap of the race.
Victory in Austin the week previously gave many cause to feel that Verstappen was in prime position to take the title, being in the position of ‘hunter’ rather than ‘hunted’.
But Verstappen said after his COTA triumph that every race needed to be “perfect” between now and the final round in Abu Dhabi, which he admitted was not the case in Mexico.
“I mean, I lost 10 [points] to Lando, if you look at it like that,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“So, I said before the weekend, everything needs to go perfect to win. And this weekend didn’t go perfect. So that’s your answer.”
It may have proved to be a slight dose of reality for Red Bull that, despite its upgrades giving the team and its RB21 a significant boost, the car is not the fastest everywhere.
“I think it’s going to be tough, but let’s see what we can do in other tracks,” Verstappen said.
“I hope, of course, we won’t experience a weekend like this again, but it still shows that we’re not quick in every scenario.
“And that’s what we need to understand, I think, a bit better.”
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