Verstappen takes a sarcastic swipe at Ferrari: They have two number one drivers and today it cost them victory

Red Bull can win even when it does not have the fastest car on track. We saw that last year and we have seen it again this year. The main reason is the phenomenal Max Verstappen in the cockpit. In Mexico, however, he received considerable help from Ferrari. If Formula 1 kept a record of assists – as ice hockey and basketball do – Charles Leclerc would certainly have earned one for Max Verstappen’s victory in Mexico.

The four-time world champion was ready to reap the rewards of another Ferrari fiasco. Even Verstappen himself saw the funny side of the whole situation, unable to resist rubbing salt into the Scuderia’s wounds in his post-race interview.

“I was very pleased that I saw the final lap,” Verstappen said with a smile after the race. “Because it was a very tough race, I think. We did everything well as a team. They made the right calls, also to pit together with Charles, and yeah, we jumped ahead of them.”

“And I do think today we capitalized also on… Ferrari’s battles with each other, I guess, that’s how you call it?” Max asked with a broad, ironic smile, scratching his chin thoughtfully. He clearly felt like describing the Scuderia drivers’ conduct in very different terms, but settled for that sarcastic assessment.

“They’re two number one drivers, so of course always go for it, right? But I think today it cost them the win,” Verstappen added unequivocally.

For Max, the Mexican weekend and the second half of the season as a whole offer great promise for the future. He has Red Bull’s full support and is making virtually no mistakes. There is another remarkable statistic: since the race in Barcelona, Verstappen has scored just six points fewer than Antonelli(!). Red Bull is clearly a team on the rise and in Max it has a driver who can deliver the best possible result every time.

After such a strong second half of the season, the four-time champion will certainly be among the leading title contenders in 2027. “I mean, you never know, also what other teams are going to bring over the winter. But we know from our side that we have a lot of areas that we want to improve on, and we have, some ideas for next year, and I hope that they will work,” said Verstappen.

“The last few weekends have been a lot more promising. I never thought I would win three races this year, so I think that is a big bonus. And that’s what we’ll try to do till the end, learn of this car, see where the weaknesses are, and try to fix them for next year,” Max added.

He had a front-row seat for Kimi Antonelli’s coronation in Mexico. The young Italian is known to admire the Red Bull driver, and the pair have become friends over the past two years. Kimi himself admitted last year that he had asked Max for advice, which he readily offered.

“In his second season to do something like this, you can argu that over the whole season they had,the best package. But still, compared to his teammate, I think he has done an unbelievable job,” Verstappen said in praise of the Mercedes driver.

“And I know for myself, when you’re in your second season, there’s still so many unknowns. Sometimes it’s a good thing to be in the unknown because you drive free, but at the same time it’s also easy to make mistakes, and he didn’t. And I think that is very impressive, and that’s why he also deserves this championship,” Max added.