Verstappen not convinced he can achieve the hat-trick in Mexico

Max Verstappen who says good things about the engine Renault : incredible and yet true. Winner of the 2017 and 2018 editions of the Mexican Grand Prix with a French propeller at the back of his Red Bull, the Dutchman did not hesitate to praise the performance of the propeller Viruses on the route which winds at altitude.

Now equipped with a Honda engine, the Red Bull leader does not display overwhelming serenity when putting his Mexican double crown back on the line, even if Sebastian Vettel earlier this week identified Milton Keynes as the team to beat this Sunday.

« The Renault engine has always performed well here, said Verstappen in the Mexico paddock. You also need to know how to recognize when the equipment is working. We don't know what the outcome will be with Honda. It will undoubtedly be more complicated this season compared to previous years. 

Compared to Mercedes and Ferrari, our chassis does not have the same advantage and the Ferraris are extremely fast on straight lines so it is difficult to make up for the time lost on these straight sections in the corners, especially in qualifying. 

It will undoubtedly be more balanced in the race. We will have to monitor the degradation of the tires because last year we suffered quite a bit from graining so we could not attack all the way during the GP. Afterwards, when you drop tenths in a straight line, you have to attack more in the corners and hit the tires more as a result. ». 

Like everyone else, Verstappen has only been able to see the good health of the Ferraris since the start of the school year at Spa-Francorchamps, regardless of the field of play. While Red Bull had locked the first row of the Mexican grid 12 months ago with Ricciardo and Verstappen, the Batavian does not see who could prevent the Scuderia from achieving a 6th pole in a row. 

« We made changes but they did not offer the same gains as last year, admitted the person concerned. On the Ferrari side, they continued to increase their engine power throughout the season. They are very difficult to beat, if not impossible to beat in qualifying, as Mercedes has seen. 

The latter still have the best car if we take the overall package but they are missing it on Saturday. The speed difference with Ferrari is just incredible. For our part, we continue to push to unlock more power. We are not left behind compared to Mercedes and Renault but the gap with Ferrari remains significant ». 

In his quest for a third straight victory in Mexico, Verstappen could turn to the heavens as rain is expected at regular intervals this weekend.