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Max Verstappen limited the damage at last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix, finishing third after a tough qualifying session. While the podium helped him close the gap to the top of the championship standings, the Dutchman downplayed talk of a title charge — and his response left little room for interpretation.
A Difficult Weekend for Red Bull
Verstappen arrived in Mexico City 40 points behind then-championship leader Oscar Piastri. From the first practice session, he struggled with the car’s balance, telling reporters that the setup “just didn’t feel right” and that Red Bull “had work to do.” The situation didn’t improve on Saturday, as Verstappen could manage only fifth in qualifying — a result that left him doubtful of his podium chances.
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Despite low expectations, Verstappen once again delivered on Sunday. Starting on medium tyres, he executed a flawless race, keeping his cool through a chaotic opening lap in which he briefly cut across the grass. Thanks to a smart one-stop strategy and a strong second stint, he climbed to third behind Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc. Norris’s win, however, meant that Verstappen lost ten points to his rival — leaving him 36 behind the new championship leader.
Verstappen Stays Grounded About Title Talk
When asked in the FIA press conference whether he still believed he could win the title, Verstappen gave a typically dry response. “I mean, I lost ten points to Lando if you look at it that way,” he said. “As I said before the weekend, everything needs to be perfect — and this weekend wasn’t. So that’s your answer.”
The four-time world champion admitted that consistency alone wouldn’t be enough. “It’s going to be tough, but we’ll see what we can do on the other circuits. Hopefully we won’t have another weekend like this, but it shows we’re not fast in every scenario. We need to understand why and improve.”
With five rounds left and momentum shifting race by race, Verstappen remains in contention — but he’s keeping expectations in check, focusing more on performance than predictions.
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