Verstappen concerned over Mexico GP race pace

Red Bull star expresses "big concern" over race simulation struggles as championship battle intensifies at high-altitude Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Max Verstappen's Friday pace tells two very different stories.

The reigning world champion topped second practice at the Mexico Grand Prix by over a tenth.

But Red Bull's long-run performance has triggered alarm bells ahead of Sunday's crucial championship showdown.

Qualifying speed masks race struggles

Verstappen clocked the fastest time in FP2, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.153 seconds.

Title rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri trailed by 0.251s and 0.840s respectively.

The headline time came during qualifying simulations on soft compounds. However, Verstappen immediately downplayed the significance of his single-lap advantage.

"The short run on the soft, we managed to do a good lap,"

Verstappen said.

"The rest, everything else was pretty bad. The medium short run was not great, and the big problem is the long runs, where we seem to struggle a lot. So that is, of course, a big concern for the race."

Alarming radio messages

The Dutchman's frustration became evident during extended runs.

Near the end of a 12-lap stint on 12-lap-old medium tires, Verstappen delivered a damning assessment over team radio.

"It's terrible, I have no grip, it's like driving on ice," he complained.

When pressed about the underlying causes, Verstappen appeared genuinely puzzled.

The balance itself wasn't problematic, making the grip loss even more concerning.

"I don't know yet. The balance wasn't even off,"

he explained.

"It was just no grip – that is the bigger concern. As soon as you go in a sustainable run, tyres are going hot. We were nowhere. So that's a tough one to sort out as well."

Mexico circuit changes everything

Verstappen emphasized that qualifying pace alone won't secure victory at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.

The high-altitude circuit offers multiple overtaking opportunities, unlike venues where he previously salvaged wins through track position.

Earlier this season, the Red Bull driver captured victories at Suzuka and Imola.

Those triumphs came through marginal pole positions and flawless Sunday drives on circuits where passing proves difficult.

"You're not going to win the race like that,"

Verstappen insisted.

"You can be fast over one lap, but if you have absolutely zero pace in the race, then it's going to be very tough. So I prefer to be fast in the race and not so fast over one lap."

Marko confirms concerns

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko echoed Verstappen's assessment.

The Austrian acknowledged the severity of the grip issues witnessed during practice.

"We saw this sort of non-grip. As you said, it was like ice,"

Marko confirmed.

"And you saw he was quite a bit sideways as well. We have to find something. Otherwise, against Norris and also the Ferraris and Mercedes, it will be more than difficult."

Marko noted that Red Bull remained competitive during qualifying simulations. But Norris's long-run pace appeared superior even on soft tires.

"On long runs, the way Norris was going, he's just pulling away," he added.

"If it stays like that, he'll be gone."

McLaren split offers hope

One positive emerged from Red Bull's difficult Friday.

Championship leader Piastri struggled relative to his teammate, finishing six tenths behind Norris in FP2.

"The good thing is, Norris seems to be, again, much more competitive than Piastri," Marko observed.

"So, it's a long race, let's see what happens."

The championship mathematics remain tight with Verstappen hunting down Piastri's 40-point advantage.

Red Bull faces a critical Saturday to unlock race pace before qualifying determines the grid for Sunday's 71-lap contest.