Mexican GP: Preview – Red Bull

Max Verstappen: It’s great to be heading to Mexico, the Team has a great history there, winning and taking a double podium in the last two years.

It is of course Checo’s home race so it will be a big one for us. The atmosphere is always amazing driving through Foro Sol. Mexico City is the highest altitude track of the season, which is more stressful on the cars, but the RB19 has been faultless in most conditions so I’m looking forward to seeing how we will perform. We’re also returning to the normal race format this weekend so that’ll be good, as we head into the second race of the triple header. Following Austin, we can expect the race to be more of a fight, but we’ll use our strategy to our strength. The aim is to keep on winning.

Sergio Perez: Mexico is my most important weekend of the season and I can’t wait for my home race. The support in Austin this weekend was crazy, so I can’t even imagine what Mexico will be like, it’s going to be very special. We have made some very good steps with the car but didn’t get to fully show our progress due to taking some wrong directions with the set up this past weekend. I am optimistic for this week, we know what direction we have to take now so hopefully we get to show that. We have a few things to sort out with the car and we should come back stronger. I want Mexico to come out to support the whole Oracle Red Bull Racing Team, not just me.

• Max scored his 50th career victory in the United States Grand Prix, becoming the second-fastest driver to reach a half-century, doing so in his 181st start, four fewer starts than Lewis Hamilton. Only Michael Schumacher has reached 50 wins quicker (153 starts).

• Checo is the most successful Mexican driver in Formula One’s history, with his six career wins being three times as many as all previous Mexican drivers combined. He is the only Mexican driver to start on pole, and the only Mexican to finish on the podium in his home race, having finished third in 2021 and 2022.

• Max has set new records in 2023 for the highest points total (466) and most laps led (795) in a single season. His next win will surpass last season for the most wins in a single year, having scored 15 victories in 2022 and 2023 so far.

• Checo’s lead in the race for second in the Drivers’ Championship has grown to 39 points over Hamilton, after he benefitted from the Mercedes driver’s post-race disqualification in the US GP and following a solid drive of his own.

• Mexico City is located at an altitude of 2,240 meters, and the air pressure is 20% lower as a consequence. The reduction in drag can lead to very high top speeds in spite of high wing settings. During last year’s race, Checo reached 353.5 km/h (219.7 mph).