Red Bull's 2024 car is still "not fast enough" to consistently claim pole positions and race victories, Max Verstappen admitted in Mexico.
Following Ferrari's 1-2 finish in Austin last week, Carlos Sainz seized pole position for Sunday's race in Mexico, edging out Verstappen and McLaren's Lando Norris.
"We have the advantage of being under the radar," Ferrari team boss Frederic Vasseur told Sky Italia. "The discussion is mainly about the fight between Lando and Max, and the fight between Zak [Brown] and Christian [Horner]. For me, that's perfect. Let's stay under the radar and focus on what we're doing now."
Sainz will lead the race from pole position, while Mercedes' George Russell will have a front-row seat to the battle between Norris and Verstappen from behind. He joked about watching the action unfold from his cockpit: "I should take a bag of popcorn with me."
Verstappen, however, brushed off the joke. "Fine, he can do whatever he wants," the Dutchman said.
Despite floor damage and engine troubles earlier in the weekend, Verstappen was pleased with his performance in qualifying. "That was much better than expected," he told Viaplay, "but of course it's still not as it should be, compared to the competition. I just think we maximised again. I feel good in the car – it's just not fast enough."
Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko praised Verstappen's lap. "Another magical lap by Max," Marko told Sky Deutschland. "He controlled his nerves and drove the perfect lap, but we also have to praise the engineers. They found the right direction for the setup of a car that only works in a very narrow window."
Meanwhile, McLaren's Norris, who qualified in P3, expressed frustration that his car was capable of pole position. According to Dutch racing personality Tom Coronel, Norris' body language showed that he has "almost given up."
"I heard Norris talking about the Ferraris, and I know why," Coronel said. "Because he's basically given up on that other [drivers'] championship. He sees that Max is ahead again, even though he [Norris] has the better car. In that case, you don't need to talk about being world champion anymore."
For Verstappen, who holds a 57-point lead over Norris with five races to go, the key to Sunday's race will be "calm and patience".
"You always want to win," he said, "but fortunately I have done that many times. If the chance comes again, I will seize it."
