Verstappen’s radio problems return in second Mexico practice

Max Verstappen’s radio problems returned at the start of second free practice for the Mexico Grand Prix, after Red Bull had made changes to address them.

Team principal Laurent Mekies said Red Bull had carried out an in-depth analysis and made substantial changes for the weekend. The team wanted a lasting solution, not one that held for only one or two races, and aimed to improve communication quality. Mekies hoped the issue was now definitively resolved.

Communication in both cars had already seemed much better during first practice, Mekies said, although Verstappen did not drive in that session.

Radio problems had also affected Red Bull’s communication in Singapore and the United States, with little impact on results. Verstappen won in Singapore while race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase could not hear him. In Austin, Verstappen repeatedly said he could not understand new engineer Tom Hart.

Whether the problems would continue to trouble Verstappen later in the Mexico weekend remained to be seen.