'It’s going to be tough' - Verstappen casts doubt on title chances

Max Verstappen believes overhauling McLaren duo Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri will now be “tough” after “struggling” to third place at the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Verstappen had a rollercoaster drive on his way to a sixth consecutive podium, having cut the first corner and clashed with Lewis Hamilton.

The Red Bull driver finished two places ahead of Piastri but lost ground to new championship leader Norris, who is 36 points ahead of Verstappen with four rounds to go.

• 'Kind of nuts' - Lewis Hamilton questions penalty after Max Verstappen clash
• F1 2025 schedule | F1 championship standings
• Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱
• Not got Sky? Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW📺

Following his win in Austin, Verstappen declared he had a chance to make an incredible comeback, but was less sure after Mexico.

"I lost 10 points to Lando, so as I said before the weekend, everything needs to go perfect to win," said the four-time world champion.

"And this weekend didn't go perfect. So that's your answer. I think it's going to be tough, but let's see what we can do in other tracks.

"I hope, of course, we won't experience a weekend like this again, but it still shows that we're not quick in every scenario. And that's what we need to understand, I think, a bit better."

Nevertheless, Verstappen has now moved closer to the top of the standings for five straight events and is still a threat to the McLaren drivers, who may take points off each other.

Red Bull brought a revised floor version of their Monza upgrade, which got them on terms with McLaren, to Mexico but it is unclear whether it worked as Verstappen struggled with car balance all weekend.

Team principal Laurent Mekies said: "We were not in the same strong positions in Mexico as we have been in the last few races. There is no obvious reason why.

"I think the most obvious aspect is that, as we have heard several times on the radios, we couldn't give Max a car he could push with as much as he normally does.

"This has probably slowed us down a little bit, so I think we are probably conscious of some of the elements we have left on the table.

"Would that be enough to match Lando this weekend? Not sure, honestly. Credit to them. They have been very, very fast. He was untouchable this weekend. I would lie to you if we knew how to come back to Mexico and beat Lando."

Mekies: Red Bull will not change approach

Red Bull are expected to bring more minor updates to the car in November prior to the season finale in Abu Dhabi on December 7.

The biggest gain in performance during the season has been tyre wear with Verstappen showcasing that in Mexico with a long final stint on the softs to challenge Charles Leclerc for second, a position he likely would have claimed if not for a late Virtual Safety Car.

The next race in Sao Paulo is a track Verstappen has enjoyed plenty of success at, having come through the field from 17th in the rain last year to win. Following that, Las Vegas is an unknown due to the cold temperatures, then the penultimate round in Qatar also saw Verstappen claim victory in 2024.

Red Bull's late-season upgrades are a surprise given there are new regulations next year but Mekies insists they can give Verstappen a chance to fight for the title while putting plenty of focus into the 2026 car.

He added: "We are not going to change our approach. We were not looking at the championships five races ago. We were not looking at the championships before Austin. We were not looking after Austin.

"What we look at is, 'yes, we don't feel 100 per cent capable this weekend in terms of car performance'. So that's where the focus goes.

"The focus will be what would we do if we come back here. What can we learn from Brazil? The rest, the championship standing is a consequence.

"It doesn't change anything for us, whether we are close or far. We still want to, as a team, to constantly extract and live knowing we have extracted absolutely everything that is good enough to fight for the win. That was not the case in Mexico."

Formula 1's thrilling title race heads continues in Brazil with a Sprint weekend at the Sao Paulo Grand Prix on November 7-9, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime