Verstappen and Horner…into ALARMING Red Bull crisis o…read more
Max Verstappen’s Mexican Grand Prix revealed a surprising mix of aggression and unusual restraint. After initially overtaking eventual race winner Carlos Sainz, Verstappen found himself in an early battle with title contender Lando Norris. The intensity of their tussle saw Verstappen push boundaries, forcing Norris off the track at both Turns 4 and 8, ultimately leading to a substantial 20-second penalty for the Dutchman.
The race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, conveyed the penalty news over the radio in a somber tone, and Verstappen surprisingly offered no defense, acknowledging he had overstepped. Known for his assertive radio exchanges, Verstappen’s silence was a clear indication that he realized the incident had compromised his race.
The questionable decision to fight Norris so aggressively, given that a more calculated approach might have seen him re-overtake the McLaren driver later, reflected what seemed like uncharacteristic desperation from Verstappen. By race end, he was nearly a full minute behind winner Sainz, marking a concerning drop in Red Bull’s long-run pace.
While Verstappen’s aggressive tactics caught headlines, Red Bull faces a larger crisis. Despite being able to compete for pole on Saturday, the team’s race pace fell short of the Ferraris and McLarens over the full distance. Having shown improvement in recent races in Azerbaijan, Singapore, and the U.S., this performance was a significant setback, leaving Red Bull in third place in the constructors’ championship, trailing Ferrari by a noticeable margin.
Verstappen acknowledged his driving was partly influenced by the car’s struggles. “When you’re slower, you’re put in those positions, and I’m not going to give up easily,” he said, accepting that the 20-second penalty was steep but attributing his aggressive driving to the car’s lack of pace. He noted, “The biggest problem of the day is the race pace, which was really not good. Even without those penalties, we had no chance to fight up front.”
Although Verstappen and Red Bull had shown promise in Austin, the setback in Mexico indicates a step backward for the team. With Brazil on the horizon, Verstappen remains hopeful that Red Bull can return to competitive form. However, with the constructors’ championship margin now cut to just 47 points, both he and team principal Christian Horner face a critical challenge to reclaim Red Bull’s pace and consistency.
