Max Verstappen feels that one major factor that hurt his chances in the sprint shootout was the fact that the track was just too bumpy. The Red Bull driver will be starting the F1 Brazilian GP sprint from P4, as this was the best he could extract from the RB20.
Red Bull has struggled to keep up the pace against its rivals this season and in the second half of the season, this has helped Lando Norris to close the gap to Max Verstappen in the championship. In the sprint shootout, the RB20 always appeared to be a few tenths behind the benchmark times with most of it lost in the slow speed second sector.
In SQ3, Max Verstappen put together his fastest lap at the tail end of the session, but it was only good for P4, while title rival Lando Norris started the race in P2. Talking to Sky Sports, Verstappen pointed out that it was the bumpy nature of the track that proved to be a hindrance. He said:
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"As soon as we went into qualifying, it looked like we were definitely off, so the car was a bit difficult on the bumps. They did the resurfacing but I think they actually made it worse to drive. It’s extremely bumpy everywhere, so that’s not good for our car. In all the bumpy areas the car is jumping around a lot and it’s costing me quite a bit of time, unfortunately."
"For tomorrow I don’t know. Normally, when you are already quite a bit off over one lap, I don’t think we are particularly the strongest in the race, so we’ll have to see how that goes tomorrow in the Sprint. I also know that there is maybe some weather around that can come, but maybe not for the Sprint. We’ll have a look," Verstappen added.
Christian Horner on Max Verstappen's penalties in Mexico
Red Bull's Christian Horner has remained steadfast in his views on Max Verstappen getting two 10-second penalties in Mexico. The team boss has gathered the media after the race in Mexico and brought a copy of the telemetry alongside him to explain how Norris was not going to make the corner. Talking to the media, including PlanetF1, about the incidents and the subsequent reaction, Horner said,
“I think you got a reaction from Austin into that race. For me, the first [penalty] was still very, very harsh. I understand the second one, but I think the first one I still struggle to understand, particularly when we’d seen the data afterward, you can see Lando come off the brakes, and take extra speed."
It remains to be seen what happens next in the race in Mexico. The Red Bull driver is in a precarious situation where he doesn't have the tools to truly fight among the best, and that has led to a few desperate moves.
