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A week ago Max Verstappen dominated in Austin. The RB21 was the benchmark. Unbeatable. Seven days later in Mexico, that same car was unrecognizable. Powerless, slow, struggling. How does a top team lose its way so completely in one week?
Verstappen's frustration was palpable
"The car is weak." Verstappen after P5 in qualifying. No comforting words. "We have no pace at all. Every lap I drove this weekend was not good." Rarely seen public frustration.
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The RB21 didn't feel at home at 2,200 meters altitude. That thin air in Mexico City is the great equalizer. And this year it completely neutralized Red Bull.
Verstappen tried everything. The team tried everything. "It's not due to lack of trying," he said. "But we just didn't find it." That's an engineer giving up.
The three crucial problems:
● Downforce loss from 25% thinner air
● Cooling ineffective with fewer air particles
● Engine works harder, more chance of issues
● Honda advantage mysteriously disappeared this year
Historically strong at altitude
The bizarre part: Red Bull was historically strong in Mexico. The Honda engine had altitude advantage. More efficient turbo, faster spooling, better handling of low air pressure.
This year? The opposite. The team couldn't find the balance. "We tried everything," Verstappen explained. The desperation dripped from it.
Thin air has three effects. Less downforce because wings catch nothing. Poor cooling because there's no air. And the turbo must work extremely hard to force enough oxygen into the engine.
Impressive third or disappointing third?
Verstappen finished third. Impressive, given the problems. Or disappointing, given last week's speed? Both true.
He was never in position to truly challenge McLaren or Ferrari. The late virtual safety car helped him onto the podium. But it was fighting, not dominating.
"We just didn't find it," Verstappen repeated after the race. A world champion admitting his team missed the setup. That rarely happens.
The mystery remains unsolved
What went wrong? Why did the historical Honda advantage disappear? Why couldn't Red Bull find the balance? The team has no answers.
Mexico was a painful reminder. Even the most dominant team is vulnerable. Thin air reshuffles the deck. And this year Red Bull got dealt a bad hand.
The title fight? Wide open again. McLaren dominates now. Red Bull searches for answers. And Verstappen? He hopes the remaining circuits suit him better.
From Austin dominance to Mexico powerlessness in seven days. The technical mystery nobody can explain.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix
C. Sainz jr
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