The Red Bull driver ran deep at the hairpin on his final Q3 lap and starts fifth after a one-place grid penalty.
Max Verstappen says a close car into Turn 12 and another on his right at the Turn 13 hairpin ruined his final Q3 lap in Mexico City Grand Prix qualifying. He was fourth on the road and starts fifth after a one-place grid penalty.
Max Verstappen has explained what ruined his final lap in Qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver set the fourth quickest time and will start Sunday's race from fifth.
Verstappen sat second after the opening runs in Q3 at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. He then failed to improve after running deep at the Turn 13 hairpin in the stadium section, having just passed Lando Norris' McLaren. His grid slot moves up from fourth to fifth because of a one-place penalty for a practice collision with Liam Lawson on Friday.
What Verstappen said
Verstappen said he had a car very close to him going into Turn 12, which cost him time in dirty air. At the hairpin he had a car on his right, where a driver normally wants to open up the corner, and that left him with an awkward angle and no reference on that side. "That then killed my lap," he said.
He took a positive from the weekend so far. In practice he was not happy with the car, he said, and the team turned that around, so that Red Bull were "fighting for pole for sure" in qualifying.
Hadjar starts seventh
Red Bull team mate Isack Hadjar will start from P7 after a session in which he struggled, particularly with the brakes. The Frenchman said the car was fast but not really drivable, and added that he was lucky to be seventh.
- Verstappen: fourth in qualifying, P5 on the grid after the penalty
- Hadjar: P7 on the grid
- Penalty: one place, for the Friday practice collision with Lawson
