Max from Mexico: 'We don't know what to expect'

Published on 25 October 2024 by Misha van der Kroon

On Thursday, Max Verstappen spoke to the international press in Mexico. After a few lesser good races, the Dutchman looks back on Austin, where he finished third, with a more positive feeling. "Austin was a positive weekend for me," says Max. "Sunday was not so good, but that is something we are analysing. But overall, we were in the fight. The car was definitely more competitive. We had more balance. I hope that we can join the fight this weekend and try to win the race."

Max has already won five times in Mexico. He says about that: “I don’t like to look back at what we have achieved previously on a circuit, because this year is very different. A lot more cars that are more competitive, also in the race. For us, we still don’t know what to expect. The last few races have been difficult, even though Austin was a much more positive weekend. But on Sunday we still lacked quite a bit of performance, and we need to understand why that was. Then we might be competitive again, but at the moment it is difficult to say. I like it here. I have had good races here. But it is too early to say that I can go for the win here.”

Max was asked a lot of questions by the press about his battle with Lando Norris in the final laps of the United States Grand Prix. He had to defend hard against the Brit. Max: “I didn’t really expect to be able to keep him behind me. They were a lot quicker and I had no grip at the front. It was very difficult to defend and brake. I did everything I could and in the end we still finished in front of them, with that penalty.”

The penalty was a recurring topic during the press moment. When Max is asked what he thinks about the time penalty for Norris, Max says: “You cannot overtake outside the white line. That is a very clear rule. I have done it myself in the past. I don't understand why there is now suddenly a cry for changes to the rules, while this has always been the case. In karting, Formula 3 and Formula 1 you know that you cannot overtake outside the white line. It is as simple as that. I don't make up the rules, I just follow them as much as I can. Yes, there are a lot of rules. But I can also see the other side: if you take a lot of rules away, and there is an incident, people will want more rules.” 

Contest GP Mexico: win a by Max Verstappen signed Red Bull Racing cap!