Following technical updates to his RB20 race car, Max Verstappen enjoyed an uptick in performance during last weekend’s United States Grand Prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
A win in Saturday’s sprint race along with a runner-up qualifying effort were signs the Oracle Red Bull Racing driver was set to get back to his winning ways.
However, after he and fellow title rival Lando Norris went wide in the first corner at COTA, it allowed Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to pounce. Leclerc would later lead a Ferrari one-two finish with Carlos Sainz snagging the second spot, forcing Verstappen to settle for bronze.
His performance, however, allowed him to increase his point lead in the drivers’ standings to 57 markers with five races remaining.
This weekend in the Mexico City Grand Prix, however, Verstappen’s eying more.
“Mexico is always a great race and, of course, it is Checo’s (Sergio Perez) home race so it’s always an incredible atmosphere,” Verstappen said. “The track is at such a high altitude, which you do need to adjust to a bit more, but we have historically done well here and I have always enjoyed driving at this track.
“We made some good steps in Austin and saw some promising improvements with the car, but it wasn’t quite enough for the race. The team is working hard to iron out these issues, but ultimately it was a step forward in the right direction and to win the sprint was a boost for the team.
“We are heading into the second race of the tripleheader so it will be about keeping this momentum heading forwards and continuing to gain crucial points in the championship.”
The three-time Formula 1 champion has won the last three races at Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez and has five winner’s trophies there, tied for the most at any track (Red Bull Ring).