Charles Leclerc clinched a sensational pole at the Mexico City GP Qualifying yesterday. His teammate, Carlos Sainz was closest behind the Monegasque as Ferrari locked out the front-row for today’s race. However, according to Red Bull advisor, Helmut Marko, one inherent weakness of the Scuderia will ensure that it is Max Verstappen who will eventually take the chequered flag as winner after 71 laps at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, per Express UK.
Hinting at a fundamental defect with the concept of the SF-23, Marko explained, “In terms of tires, we are in good shape. And let’s face it, it would actually be the first time Ferrari has been able to keep pace over the entire race distance,” to Sky Germany (as quoted by Express UK).
Two poles in a row for @Charles_Leclerc and our 69th front row lockout thanks to @CarlosSainz55 👏 Doesn’t get much better than that! 🚀#MexicoGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/La9T7aya1K
— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) October 28, 2023
Marko’s observations aren’t wholly unsupported, either. Generally, track and ambient temperatures at the Circuit mean that tire management is key. Throughout the season, the Ferrari car has been notorious for being too hard on their tires. Naturally, the Scuderia suffer from an acute tire degradation problem that was once again apparent during the practice sessions leading up to today’s Grand Prix.
Despite Singapore, Red Bull are confident about a Mexican cake walk amid Ferrari resurgence
Marko wasn’t ready to give credit to Ferrari for their Singapore triumphs. Despite it being Red Bull’s only defeat this season, Marko is adamant that the Bulls have nothing to fear from the prancing horse. “Singapore was an exception. [Carlos] Sainz was able to slow down there because you can’t overtake in Singapore. He did a great job tactically, but this is a different race,” added the Austrian.
What makes Marko even more bullish about his chances today is the fact that they have had an ace up their sleeves all throughout this season. In one word, Max Verstappen has been inevitable. No matter where he has started on the grid, he’s only gone on to win.
Max Verstappen has equalized Fernando Alonso in most wins by different grid positions
Max Verstappen: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 14 (9)
Fernando Alonso: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 11, 15 (9)#BelgianGP pic.twitter.com/lBypVw0CHz
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) July 30, 2023
That being said, alongside the Ferraris, Verstappen also has Sergio Perez to contend with this weekend. Granted, the Mexican has fallen off a cliff recently compared to his teammate, however, with the Mexican fans geeing him up, surely, Perez would feel a few extra horse powers propelling him down to turn one at the start. Can he win? Well, only time will tell.
