The Formula 1 race weekend at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez saw high tension as Max Verstappen had to settle for fourth place on the starting grid during qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix. The leading Red Bull Racing driver voiced his clear frustration after encountering heavy traffic that derailed his final flying lap in Q3.
Entering the session carrying a one-place grid penalty from an earlier practice clash with Liam Lawson, the Dutchman knew an outright pole position was mathematically out of reach. However, his pace aboard the RB22 still kept him firmly in the hunt for the session's fastest lap.
The critical moment unfolded as Verstappen approached the stadium section on his final Q3 attempt, where he caught up to Lando Norris. The positioning of the McLaren cost the Red Bull driver crucial downforce and braking references, leading to a lock-up at Turn 13.
"I had two cars in front of me, so I was already losing downforce in Turn 12," Verstappen told Viaplay. "It just broke out more there, because that car was only one and a half to two seconds ahead of me."
"And then he parks it on the right side, which is exactly where you want to open up for the hairpin. You can’t position your car properly, and you also lose your reference point on the right side," he explained.
Despite missing out on a front-row start due to the traffic nightmare, the reigning world champion took comfort in the vastly improved handling of his RB22 chassis compared to the tricky practice sessions.
"Fortunately, the car is a lot better. The whole weekend was bad, but in qualifying the car was better," he concluded.
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