Red Bull's unfixable problem could hurt Verstappen more in Mexico than anywhere else
Ben Hunt is an award-winning motorsport journalist with over two decades of experience in Formula 1 and international media. As a former editor-in-chief and bestselling author, he delivers in-depth analysis and strategic insight from the highest level of the sport.
Max Verstappen may head to Mexico City as the race favourite, but Red Bull's launch weakness, which Laurent Mekies admits cannot be fully fixed until 2027, puts him at the one circuit where a poor getaway is exposed for longest. Pole position at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez sits a whopping 830 metres from the Turn 1 braking point, the longest run to the first corner on the calendar.
The problem showed up again in Austin. Verstappen lost a place from the front row and Isack Hadjar dropped from third to fifth on the opening lap. Verstappen got back past Charles Leclerc later that lap, but the scramble meant he had already lost touch with Kimi Antonelli, and he never got back into contention. Verstappen was open about the poor performance in the US GP in Austin.
Mekies rules out a full fix before the end of the season
Mekies said the problem involves more than one part. It touches the engine, gearbox and clutch, so trackside tweaks can only narrow the gap. He expects small gains in the remaining races, but he was clear about the limit.
On the other side, I equally know that we will not be the benchmark before the end of the season, that it will require some significant design and hardware changes, and that this is something that we will see only next year.- Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team principal
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Mekies also said that Red Bull's progress has made the weakness costlier, he said: "The fact that the car in the meantime improved a lot, and is fighting closer to the front, makes that deficit even more painful now, because competition around us is very strong."
Bookmakers still back Verstappen to win in Mexico
The betting market has not been put off. The five-time Mexico City winner has been priced at better odds than Antonelli, even though Verstappen has only two wins this season.
Antonelli leads Russell by 123 points with five races left, and a ninth-place finish or better on Sunday, 1 November, would make him world champion.
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Verstappen is fourth on 236 points and can no longer win the title. His third place in Austin was his sixth podium in a row, and he took pole at the two rounds before Texas. Those results suggest that if he qualifies near the front, the 830-metre run to Turn 1 could decide his race.
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