Max Verstappen reflects on the second free practice, his only one on Friday, for the Grand Prix of Mexico with mixed feelings. According to the world champion, there is particularly a lot of work to be done on the so-called long runs.
“Of course, it was a bit of a wait to get back in the car,” said Verstappen, who had to give up his RB21 in the first session to Arvid Lindblad. On the soft tires, the Dutchman showed that there seems to be enough speed in the car. “On the softest tire, we were able to put down a good lap. But the rest was not great,” he judged. “The laps on the medium tire were also not good.”
He is particularly concerned about the long runs for the qualification and race. “The big problem is the long runs. We seem to be having a lot of trouble with that, which is a point of concern for the race. The balance is not bad, but there is no grip and that is the main problem. As soon as you drive a longer stint, the car gets hot and you’re nowhere. That’s tricky.”
Verstappen emphasized that one fast lap is not enough for a successful weekend. “You can be fast over one lap, but then you don’t have the speed for the race. Of course, I prefer to be fast in the race. So it’s going to be a tough job,” he says, “and we need to analyze everything well and see where we can find improvements.”
