Verstappen: 'On the straights Mercedes is not very far off'

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29 October 2022 at 23:34
Last update 29 October 2022 at 23:41
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  • GPblog.com

After a very exciting qualifying session, it was still Max Verstappen who managed to set himself apart from the rest. However, the Dutchman realises that it will again be very close during the race on Sunday. 

Verstappen needs good start

Speaking to Viaplay, Verstappen reveals that the Grand Prix weekend in Mexico has not gone naturally so far. "It was actually a bit of a fight with the car every session so far to get it done. During qualifying it wasn't perfect yet either," the Red Bull Racing driver explained.

During Q1 and Q2, Verstappen got better and better into his rhythm. "In the end, the balance in Q3 was pretty good, so I was happy with that." The world champion is happy to achieve his first official pole in Mexico, after it was taken away by a penalty in the past. " I think we did really well in qualifying today," concluded Verstappen.

Lewis Hamilton suggested that the difference was mainly in speed on the straight, but that difference is considerably smaller on the twisty Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. " I have to say it's all a lot closer together here," Verstappen continued.

"On the straights, Mercedes is not very far off, so we should definitely have a good start. Then of course it will still be a difficult story in the first corner, but yes, we'll just have to brake a bit later," the two-time world champion laughed.