Verstappen revives Le Mans-start joke amid Red Bull start concerns

Ahead of the Mexican Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said he was not really more confident about the start than in recent weeks. In a session with Dutch media, he replied: “No, not really, if I’m really honest.” When his Friday radio suggestion of a Le Mans-style start was raised, he laughed: “Maybe we should really do that. I think it would be just as quick!”

The joke followed two practice starts that Verstappen said had gone badly. On Friday, he told his team over radio that he could sprint faster off the line and suggested running to the car, pushing it and jumping in. Red Bull had struggled with starts throughout the 2026 season; the long run to Turn 1 could make the problem especially painful in Mexico.

Verstappen said there was little he could do about the start itself, with the few remaining adjustments more about team procedures. Team principal Laurent Mekies said Red Bull had improved its starts compared with the 2026 season opener in Melbourne, but could not fully solve the problem that year without hardware changes, including to the clutch, that could not be introduced until 2027. Mekies nevertheless hoped the team could make further gains with the existing hardware.