After struggling throughout Friday and Saturday due to a Red Bull RB21 that was running too low, Max Verstappen returned to strong form on Sunday in the Mexican Grand Prix, managing to stay in the fight for the world championship. Here’s how he rediscovered performance when it mattered most.
Exactly twenty years ago, a rock band that sounded straight out of the 1980s – The Darkness – released their second major album titled just like its lead single: “One Way Ticket to Hell… and Back.” Last weekend – even if things didn’t quite go that far – Max Verstappen metaphorically followed that same path, delivering a performance that perfectly summed up a Grand Prix weekend which looked set to knock him out of the title race, only for him to stage a spectacular comeback just when it counted most.
Max Verstappen had ended Friday’s two practice sessions with the fastest time overall. However, the three-time world champion was far from happy. His concerns weren’t about single-lap pace, but rather about the lack of consistency over long runs. With McLaren continuing to look extremely strong, Verstappen knew that being quick on Friday and Saturday means little when points are only awarded on Sunday.
“On the Soft tyres, I managed to put together a good lap,” he said after Friday’s practice sessions. “But everything else went quite badly. The run with the Mediums wasn’t great, and the biggest problem is the long runs – we’re struggling massively there. That’s obviously the main concern for the race.”
He also added: “The balance wasn’t there, there was no grip. That’s the biggest issue. As soon as you try to make a sustainable stint, the tyres overheat. We’re lost right now. It’s been tough, but we’ll see.”
“Surely, this way you can’t win a race. You can be fast over a single lap, but if you have terrible race pace, things get difficult.”
Red Bull’s setup changes on Saturday
By Saturday, Red Bull Racing decided to make major setup adjustments on the RB21, including a change to the rear wing, in an effort to get back on track. After a comparative test using the older wing on Yuki Tsunoda’s car, Verstappen also switched back to the same specification used on Friday. Despite that, his RB21 remained extremely low to the ground.
The Dutchman’s car was visibly bottoming out, especially through the middle sector of the circuit. It was clearly noticeable both from the onboard footage and from the timing sheets, as Verstappen’s car was among the slowest of the frontrunners. This was one of the key reasons why Red Bull’s qualifying performance fell well below expectations.
The turnaround on Sunday
Yet, what had been a major disadvantage on Saturday turned into an advantage on Sunday. With the car carrying a full fuel load and tyres being managed over race distance, overall speeds were lower and the aerodynamic load was reduced. This change meant that Verstappen’s RB21 no longer bottomed out, finally stabilizing and allowing the Dutch driver to push with confidence. The timing data confirmed it: Verstappen began regaining ground on the Ferrari cars even in the very sector where he had struggled the most in qualifying.
Helmut Marko confirmed this explanation afterward: “We were too low in qualifying. But with a full tank, you don’t go as fast through the corners, so the aerodynamic load isn’t as high as in qualifying. That’s why we stopped bottoming out. And then Max delivered that incredible stint on the Softs, pushing to the limit while keeping the tyres alive.”
“Max was constantly worried about tyre degradation, but he kept doing 1’21”2 lap after lap. He was always within half a second of his best time. And yes, that’s pure Verstappen. When Max is in race mode, it’s another story entirely. He forgets everything else and just drives.”
A lost podium but renewed hope
The introduction of the Virtual Safety Car with just two laps remaining denied Max Verstappen what could have been a likely second place. His tyre advantage over Charles Leclerc ahead of him was evident, and the Red Bull driver was already right behind the rear wing of the Ferrari SF-25. The Monegasque would have struggled to defend the position. However, the VSC froze the race order, costing Verstappen valuable points in his championship chase.
Still, on a weekend where he was expected to say goodbye to his title hopes, the Dutchman instead managed to keep them very much alive. To be clear, the challenge remains extremely difficult, but with each passing race, the seemingly impossible is becoming just a little less so.
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