Copyright dailystar
Max Verstappen has said that his Red Bull Formula 1 car "just isn't working" at the Mexico City Grand Prix. It came after his fifth-place finish in Saturday's qualifying session. The four-time world champion maintained his excellent recent run with his third victory in four races at the United States Grand Prix last week, rekindling his championship fight and narrowing the deficit to leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points. This put Verstappen , 28, with his destiny in his own control, although he still needs an almost flawless five-race conclusion to overtake Piastri and runner-up Lando Norris . However, the Dutchman's attempt to carry his momentum into Mexico suffered a major setback during qualifying, as he was unable to stop his Red Bull from losing grip on the high-altitude circuit. Ultimately, Verstappen secured fifth position on the grid after his tyres became overheated. Norris claimed pole position with a commanding display from the British racer, whilst McLaren colleague Piastri finds himself even further back after qualifying in seventh. Speaking after qualifying, Verstappen said: "I think we haven't been very good all season with tyre overheating and that's actually quite a big problem here. At this altitude you start sliding and then the tyres heat up a lot immediately. And that doesn't suit us, that's clear." Verstappen and Red Bull have managed to achieve better balance and handling in their car over recent weeks, but this couldn't be replicated due to the lack of grip on the Mexico City circuit. He added: "You can do a lot with balance, but of course that doesn't solve everything. "For example, in Austin we were also very fast, but if you look at the race, we always have to manage a lot more in certain corners than, say, a McLaren or a Ferrari . But, in Austin the car was good, so you can mask that. "But here, if you don't even have a good balance, or at least no grip, then it's over. I tried all set-up directions and nothing works. Maybe one direction drives a little better than the other, but we were just too slow with that one too." Verstappen's struggles were highlighted as he kept sliding through the rapid Turn 9 left-hander, forcing him to correct his errors through oversteering. When questioned about the issue, Verstappen said: "Well, just watch the onboard and turn up the volume, then you'll hear what's happening there." Red Bull boss Helmut Marko believes a podium finish remains within reach for Verstappen on Sunday, though the driver appears less optimistic about those prospects, reports the Express . Ferrari pairing Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton occupy second and third positions, whilst Mercedes flyer George Russell sits fourth on the grid ahead of Verstappen. Verstappen admitted: "Sure, if there's two cars dropping out ahead of me...There's no point in creating false hope. It's just not going to happen this weekend. And if nothing crazy happens for me, then it won't happen. That's just how it is. "The big problem, of course, is that Lando is starting up front. We're not that far behind Oscar in terms of points, but we knew we had to be perfect until the end. Then this is not ideal, of course."
