Verstappen thinks it will be close in Mexico

The Dutch world champion does not think the RB19 race car feels at home at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico City: "I don't think this circuit necessarily suits us very well if you look at the handling of our car this year. There are some slow corners and kerbstones here, which our car does not excel at."

Lots of competition

The Red Bull driver therefore expects serious competition in Mexico, especially in qualifying. He is less worried about the race on Sunday: "I expect a lot of competition, especially over one lap. That will be close. About a race distance, I don't know. Normally our race speed is good."

In previous races in Mexico, on the contrary, Red Bull was always very fast on the high-level circuit. But according to Verstappen, that says nothing about the upcoming race: "Cars are different every year, so also the behaviour and characteristics of the car. The fact that we were fast in the past does not mean we will be fast this year too."

The Dutchman also cites this year's new regulations as a reason for a possible difference in the race car's performance compared to last year: "There are new regulations and also our car performs slightly different from last year. We seemed to have an advantage with our power unit for a few years at this high altitude with thin air, but it seems most engine manufacturers have got that under control now."

Only brakes changed

Verstappen also looks back at the Grand Prix in Austin, where he had problems with the rams for most of the race. He explains that Red Bull had made an adjustment to its brakes from Saturday to Sunday, and it was clearly not a good change. The high tyre temperatures in Austin also amplified the problems with the brakes: "I didn't have the right feeling when braking and the car reacted slightly differently than normal. Then it is difficult to be consistent and use the tyres economically. On a track with high-speed corners where tyre temperature matters, that has an impact. On Saturday we were very fast, but on Sunday we were no longer and the only thing we had adjusted were the brakes."