Max Verstappen’s remarkable pole position for Red Bull at the Miami GP promised a thrilling race, but the Dutchman’s hopes for victory at the Miami International Autodrome quickly evaporated as fierce competition and limited machinery relegated him to a disappointing P4 finish. The Dutchman reflected on a frustrating race that saw him missing out on a podium. Verstappen, who is always focused on victory, didn’t mince words when reflecting on his result.
“I mean, honestly, it’s not frustrating at all. You know, we are here to win and today we were miles off that. So, then it doesn’t really matter if you are P3 or P4.”
Verstappen enjoyed a fierce fight at the front
Looking back on his battles with the McLarens’, Verstappen confirmed that it was simply fair racing in his opinion: “Yeah, exactly that. There’s not much more to add.”
Thriving in the challenge, a defiant Verstappen merely aimed at enjoying the fight: “I mean I had nothing to lose so I also just wanted to have a bit of fun out there.”
Verstappen: Strict regulations make for more predictable racing
Often on the edge of the regulations, Verstappen stated that the racing guidelines make for a straightforward fight: “I mean the last race and then the Sprint race and today I think it’s quite clear what is allowed and what isn’t allowed.
“So, I think everyone is adjusted to that,” continued the Dutchman.
Frustratingly complying with the regulations, the title holder would rather have room for pure racing.
“For me it’s always better to leave it more natural but I just follow the rules.”
Verstappen justifies staying out during Miami GP VSC
Risking staying out while the virtual safety car was deployed after a collision that took Lawson and Doohan out of the Miami GP, Verstappen validated his and Red Bull’s call to stay out on his rather fresh tyres. Were he to pit under the virtual safety car, the RB-21 would have rejoined the track far back, impeding his race.
“Well then I would have just dropped back even more so it wouldn’t have been a good choice,” answered the new father to an inquiry about the consequences of a potential pitstop at that moment of the Miami GP. “I pitted only a few laps before, so my tyres are still quite okay,” he then justified.
The McLaren pace
Despite the frustrations, Verstappen gave credit where it was due, acknowledging McLaren’s formidable pace. Offering a begrudging nod to the McLarens’ pace around the Miami International Autodrome, Verstappen detailed how “they were just miles up the road”. Benefitting from a low tyre degradation, “they were just miles faster than everyone else” continued the 27-year-old driver. The McLarens held a strong edge over their competitors as the Miami International Autodrome is a “[…] track where the thermal degradation is very high.”
“They just have a massive advantage. I think that’s quite clear,” resignedly concluded Verstappen.
Areas for improvement in the RB-21
While Verstappen was vocal about his frustration with the result, his focus soon shifted to the technical challenges that plagued his weekend. While Red bull introduced some developments to the RB-21 going into the Miami GP, Verstappen lamented any significant improvement in the race pace.
“If you look at the gap not but I don’t know. It’s very hard to say,” he replied when asked about the difference the floor changes made to his machine. The World Champion then affirmed that Red Bull will “keep working on it.”
Verstappen acknowledged that tyre management plays a big role in his performance. It is easier for drivers to maintain a cooler tyre temperature over the race than when they are pushing the car to the limits to extract the maximum performance out of their vehicle in qualifying.
“Honestly, I think if you look at the onboards in qualifying it’s quite clear.
“At the end of the race you don’t need to go flat out on the limit. And then if your tyres are just running cooler then yeah, you have more grip. It’s as simple as that.”
Verstappen additionally recognized that the Red Bull’s brakes have been repeatedly capricious at the Miami International Autodrome. The team are however working on improving that feature further detailed Verstappen.
“It’s a little problem for us when we go here. Sometimes it works a little better, sometimes it comes back.
“Constantly we are trying to improve it.”
Red Bull will now be eyeing the fast-paced Imola circuit, aiming for a podium finish—and, as Max Verstappen undoubtedly hopes, a victory.
