Expectations within Red Bull were split on Saturday evening at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. Team advisor Helmut Marko stated that the RB21 was run too low in terms of ride height during qualifying, causing the car to bottom out in Turn 9, but he insisted it wouldn’t be a handicap in the race. The Austrian still believed a podium was within reach for Max Verstappen from fifth on the grid.
The reigning world champion himself strongly disagreed. When told about Marko’s optimism during the Dutch media round in the paddock, Verstappen replied: “No, the car just doesn’t work. And it won’t work tomorrow either. Let’s just leave it at that.”
