Here's the thing: when you are Max Verstappen, runner-up spots simply do not register. Ahead of the Mexico City Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver made it crystal clear that the fight for second place in the Drivers' Championship means nothing to him.
Recent momentum has brought the Milton Keynes-based outfit right back into the conversation. Following a frustrating wait for victories, Verstappen narrowly missed out in Azerbaijan before securing back-to-back wins in Malaysia and Singapore. That resurgence has pushed him to within six points of George Russell in P2 and five points behind third-placed Lewis Hamilton, while Red Bull are also level on points with McLaren.
There were a few little issues that we found, which of course we were dealing with throughout the weekend,
Yet, when asked about finishing strongly in the standings, the Dutchman delivered a blunt verdict. “I don’t really care, because it’s only about first. So for me, I don’t care if I’m second or fifth,” Verstappen stated. Instead, he pointed to a different goal. “The only thing that we want to try and achieve is to be P3 in the Constructors’. That’s what I think the team wants, so that’s what we’ll try to do.” Red Bull have not finished outside of the top three in the Teams' Championship since 2015.
Beyond the immediate constructor standings, Verstappen's true focus lies firmly on the future. His biggest priority is ensuring that the team begins next season with as strong a machine as possible. Even though Red Bull have improved significantly this year, he admitted they are nowhere near satisfied enough.
“[There are] still a lot of things that we want to change, and I hope that it will bring the car a bit more together,” he explained. “That’s been the target already for a long time. Of course, we have improved a lot this year, but I think we are nowhere near satisfied enough, so there will still be a decent amount of changes for next year.”
Despite having won at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez five times in his career, Verstappen is refusing to expect another triumph this weekend. Their struggles last time out in Austin—where he could not hold off Charles Leclerc for P2—exposed several problems that the team is eager to fix.
“There were a few little issues that we found, which of course we were dealing with throughout the weekend,” he said, detailing damage to his car, sub-optimal components, and engine horsepower limitations. Fixing those elements should naturally recover lost lap time, but Verstappen acknowledged that predicting a fight for the win remains difficult given the unique challenges of the venue.
