Max Verstappen highlighted the difficulties his Red Bull faced during FP2 in Mexico, raising concerns ahead of the race. The Dutch driver finished the second free practice session in first place, but that was not enough for him to feel fully satisfied with his car. According to Max Verstappen, Red Bull has a major issue in Mexico that must be addressed to aim for victory and keep championship hopes alive.
The #1 driver skipped the first session to give rookie Arvid Lindblad track time. The young Formula 2 talent, already part of the Red Bull Junior Team, is expected to be the next driver to debut in Formula 1 with the Milton Keynes outfit. Official confirmation is still pending, but multiple sources suggest he could join Racing Bulls for the 2026 season.
Insights from the long runs
Max Verstappen did not hold back in analyzing Red Bull’s performance during FP2 in Mexico. According to him, there are several areas that need improvement, and facing the race in the current conditions would be a significant challenge. The team has a history of resolving such issues, usually arriving on Sunday with a competitive car.
“In the qualifying simulation with the Soft tires, we managed a good lap. The rest was really poor. The fast lap on the Medium tires wasn’t great, but the big problem is the long runs, where we struggled a lot. This is definitely a huge concern for the race,” stated the four-time World Champion.
The exact nature of the issue is still unclear, but it does not appear to be related to car balance: “The balance wasn’t even missing; there was simply no grip. That is the major concern. As soon as we do a longer simulation, the tires overheat. We were nowhere. It will be difficult to fix, but we will see,” Verstappen added to Formula 1 microphones at the end of FP2.
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