Amid the general celebrations at Scuderia Ferrari for the remarkable pole position achieved by Carlos Sainz at the 4.304-kilometre Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in Mexico City, his first of the 2024 Formula One season, the equally extraordinary achievement by Max Verstappen has almost been overlooked.
While his Red Bull teammate (and the weekend’s undisputed star) failed to even qualify for Q2, the Dutch star made a decisive move on his very last attempt, placing his RB20 on the front row. This came after he effectively missed the first two practice sessions due to issues with his Power Unit.
Trouble ahead for Max Verstappen
However, the Power Unit could soon take center stage again (in a negative way) at Red Bull. After serving a penalty at the Belgian GP, Max Verstappen stated that he is almost certain to receive another grid penalty before the season ends.
The Honda engine in the Anglo-Austrian team’s car is indeed on the limit for several components, including the turbocharger, MGU-H, MGU-K, energy store, and control electronics.
“I think there will be another penalty, yes,” confirmed the three-time world champion after the qualifying session for the Mexico City Grand Prix. When asked which circuit might be designated for serving the sanction, Max Verstappen remained vague: “It depends. We’ll have to see how long we can hold out.” – he explained.
In the meantime, the Dutch driver hopes to continue gaining points on Lando Norris to avoid any unpleasant surprises in the upcoming GPs, although with limited mileage over the weekend, his race pace remains uncertain: “I don’t expect miracles.” – the three-time Formula 1 world champion pointed out – “I think Ferrari was really fast in Austin. Sure, maybe McLaren wasn’t that strong that weekend, but then in the race, I believe they were very competitive. So from my side, I don’t know. I think we’ll find out tomorrow.” – the Dutchman concluded.
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