Two-times Mexican Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen is unsure how competitive Red Bull will be at the track this year following their switch to Honda power.
Last year Verstappen predicted his Renault power unit would struggle at Mexico City’s high altitude. But the Renault-powered Red Bulls swept the front row of the grid and Verstappen scored his second consecutive win in the race.“The car always had good mechanical grip,” said Verstappen today. “And actually, being very positive, I think the Renault engine was always quite decent here. You also have to give credit to when it’s working.”
He admitted the team is unsure how it will be at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez this weekend.
“This year honestly from the Honda side we don’t know yet how competitive it’s going to be,” he said. “Let’s see in practice.”
Verstappen suspects Ferrari’s power advantage will make them hard to beat on Saturday.
“I think this year will be a little bit more difficult because I think in comparison to Ferrari and Mercedes this year we are not maybe that far ahead with the car and Ferrari is just super quick on the straight so it’s very hard to go gain that time back in the corners, especially in qualifying.
“In the race they don’t have that amount of power difference. Still there is a difference, but not that big. So maybe in the race we’ll have a few more chances.
“But also we have to see how the tyres are going to behave because last year there was, of course, big issues with the graining. So you couldn’t really push flat out throughout the whole race. This year, I think the tyres are a bit harder so hopefully that will help.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2019 F1 season
- Crying in the Melbourne car park at 2019 grand prix was my career low – Ocon
- McLaren Racing reports reduced £71 million loss in 2019
- Kvyat: Hockenheim podium last year was “my biggest achievement” so far
- How the FIA’s new encrypted fuel flow meter targets Ferrari’s suspected ‘aliasing’ trick
- “He smashed my office door”: 23 must-see moments from ‘Drive to Survive’ season two
Mashiat (@mashiat)
24th October 2019, 19:47
Perhaps McLaren can be close to the top 6. Their car seems to have decent mechanical grip and does well in high-downforce tracks.
Boomerang
24th October 2019, 21:21
Max, you’re a great man for telling the truth!
MEGATRON M12 (@megatron)
24th October 2019, 21:33
It’s not that the Renault PU was strong in Mexico, it was that us wasn’t as weak as it usually was everywhere else. It didn’t gain power in Mexico, it’s just that their power deficit was smaller there. But ultimately they won because of mechanical grip and better tire usage, same reason they won in Monaco ’18.
Ross
24th October 2019, 22:18
Renault’s turbo setup is the key. The bigger unit in the renault doesn’t suffer as much in the thin air of the higher altitude track. Ultimately they won because of the advantage they gained over the other teams, we’ve seen through the year that Merc and Ferrari are more than a match for Red Bull in Aero and mechanical grip. McLaren might indeed be on for a podium.
BlueChris (@bluechris)
24th October 2019, 21:43
Slowly Max reminds me someone… anyone can guess who?
Alonso cough cough