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Max Verstappen has admitted his Red Bull Formula 1 car "just isn't working" at the Mexico City Grand Prix, after managing only fifth place during Saturday's qualifying . The four-time world champion had been building momentum with his third victory in four races at the United States Grand Prix last week, keeping his title hopes alive and reducing the deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri to just 40 points. This left Verstappen, 28, controlling his own destiny, though he still needs an almost flawless final five races to overtake both Piastri and second-placed Lando Norris . However, the Dutchman's hopes of carrying his recent form into Mexico suffered a major blow during qualifying, as he struggled to stop his Red Bull from sliding around the high-altitude circuit. Ultimately, Verstappen could only manage fifth on the grid after his tyres became overheated. Norris secured pole position with a commanding display from the British driver, whilst McLaren teammate Piastri finds himself even further back after qualifying in seventh. "I think we haven't been very good all season with tyre overheating and that's actually quite a big problem here," Verstappen explained after qualifying. "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 his Red Bull team have been working tirelessly to improve the car's balance and handling in recent weeks, but their efforts fell flat on the Mexico City track. "You can do a lot with balance, but of course that doesn't solve everything," Verstappen confessed. "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 when he continued to slide through the fast Turn 9 left-hander, having to correct his errors by oversteering. When asked what the issue was, Verstappen responded: "Well, just watch the onboard and turn up the volume, then you'll hear what's happening there." Red Bull boss Helmut Marko remains hopeful that a podium finish is still within Verstappen's reach on Sunday, but the driver himself isn't as optimistic. Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are currently second and third, while Mercedes ' speed demon George Russell is fourth on the grid, ahead of Verstappen. He confessed: "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," Verstappen added. "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."
