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Verstappen Thursday Mexican Grand Prix 2023

Verstappen points to Red Bull mistake: 'We set the car too high'

27 October 2023 at 06:00

The United States Grand Prix marked the 50th Formula 1 victory for Max Verstappen. It emerged afterwards that Ferrari and Mercedes had run the cars of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton too low, preventing them from passing inspection. Verstappen was surprised by that news while pointing out a mistake Red Bull Racing made before the race.

Verstappen on ride height Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull

"I don’t know how they set up their cars. I was surprised when I heard about it," Verstappen responded to Sky Sports about his rivals' disqualifications. Still, he does understand how it could have happened, given the nature of the Circuit of the Americas in Austin.

"The track is bumpy and you only have one practice session. It can catch you out," the Red Bull driver continued. As for himself, it worked just the other way around. "We ran the car a bit too high which cost performance," he explained.

"We know when you drop the car you go faster," he added. However, that does not mean Verstappen thinks the rival F1 teams are further away than it seemed in America. "I do think other teams are catching up with us," concluded the three-time world champion.