Second place for Max Verstappen, a true star, while Sergio Perez finished only in eighteenth place.
It was a two-faced qualifying session for Red Bull in Mexico City. Max Verstappen, who is single-handedly supporting the team, delivered yet another outstanding performance, finishing second. In stark contrast, Sergio Perez’s performance plummeted as he ended up in eighteenth place.
A huge difference between the two drivers, which is unsustainable for Helmut Marko It’s no secret that Red Bull is active in the market, and ongoing discussions with Franco Colapinto could see Lawson alongside Max Verstappen next season, leaving Perez without a seat. But before considering the future, there’s the present, which brought yet another stellar qualifying performance from the three-time world champion. Max delivered an incredible lap, placing his car just two-tenths behind Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari.
Max Verstappen’s Words
Verstappen reflected on the qualifying session in Mexico: “Today was all about recovery. We knew it would be difficult since we hadn’t gathered data on Friday, so FP3 was crucial for establishing reference points for the weekend. We anticipated that qualifying would also be tough, and the track was very dirty when I went out.
I tried to do my best, and the last adjustments paid off: the car improved, and I was able to push harder. Before qualifying, we thought the second row would be a great result, but here we are on the front row: better than I expected. The race is still an unknown, but we’ll give everything for our fans.”
Sergio Perez’s words
A very different morale for Sergio Perez, who finished eighteenth and was never competitive in the car He said: “What a disappointing way to end my qualifying. We had the pace to do better, but I struggled too much: it was the same in Singapore and Austin. At low speeds, I couldn’t brake or stop the car; as soon as I touched the brakes, the car slid or the tires locked up. This is the biggest issue for me right now, and it has worsened here in Mexico. There are still four races to go, and as a team, we need to solve this problem.”
I had to adjust my braking too much, and I didn’t have confidence in the car. This is the worst place to have all these problems; I’m really disappointed. In this Grand Prix, I wanted to do my best. I hope to score points tomorrow. I need to give it a try and do my best; it will be difficult, but I owe it to my fans, the best in the world, because this is the best race in the world.”
Photo: X Oracle Red Bull Racing
