Max Verstappen has expressed his disappointment after being unable to complete his final lap in the qualifying session for the Mexican Grand Prix. The Red Bull Racing driver was well positioned to fight for pole but found himself caught up in the traffic of Lando Norris in the final sector.
The four-time world champion had achieved a good time, putting himself almost a tenth ahead of Lewis Hamilton, who would ultimately secure pole after setting a very fast initial sector. However, everything changed when he encountered traffic on the decisive lap.
Verstappen faced a complicated situation at the clear curve 12, where he received dirty air from the cars ahead. Upon reaching curve 13, he attempted to dodge Isack Hadjar and Norris, who moved to the right side, thus altering his line and causing a lock-up.
Ultimately, he decided to abort the lap after the difficulties. His first attempt was sufficient for fourth position, although he will have to start from fifth place due to a grid penalty for a collision with Liam Lawson during practice.
Verstappen commented: “Upon reaching curve 12, I saw a car stopped in front of me, which already makes you lose time due to the dirty air. When I get to curve 13, I no longer know where to brake with a car ahead.” He indicated that, in qualifying, he had found an improvement in his grip.
Looking ahead to the race, the Dutch driver anticipates that he will have to manage the engine temperature if he does not manage to overtake the top two at the start. “Everything will be hot, so we will have to be attentive to how the engine responds. I prefer to start from pole than to have to fight from behind, as there is a risk of overheating behind other vehicles,” he added.
With the first meters of the race as the focus, Verstappen acknowledges: “If you get a good start, you can normally race calmly, so it all depends on your start.”
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
