Red Bull surprised by Ferrari’s pace in Mexico qualy

Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz surprisingly clinched 1-2 finish in qualifying for the Mexico City Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was tipped as the big favorite after being fastest in all three free practice sessions at the track, but the world champion will start third tonight after being 0.097s slower than Leclerc in the battle for the top spot.

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According to Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Dr. Helmut Marko, Ferrari’s speed in qualifying has only one logical explanation. According to the Austrian, who spoke to Sky Germany, the Scuderia have inflated their engines to the maximum, which, however, could play a bad joke on them in the race.

“They must have used the maximum power of the engine. There is no other explanation. But they won’t get far in the race like that,” said Dr. Marko. Because of the high altitude of the track, most teams dial down their power units in order to cool them better.