Max Verstappen faces the toughest test of his season after being punished for a mistake in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. The race desperately wants some fireworks to go with the grand spectacle it is so determined to present and Red Bull’s world champion must now very much light the blue touch paper in Florida.
With his teammate Sergio Pérez taking pole and Verstappen managing only ninth, the Dutchman’s slender championship lead of six points over the Mexican is under genuine threat on Sunday on a track where an inexorable march back to the front from the Dutchman is far from guaranteed and where any errors will be punished even more harshly.
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On form and on the back of a dominant world championship victory last year, Verstappen will not have expected to under the cosh from Pérez so early in the season, yet at the Miami International Autodrome it was the world champion found wanting, while Pérez took advantage.
Though Verstappen was unlucky, too, he had to abort his first hot run in Q3, having gone wide after being untidy through turns four and five, putting him under pressure for the final quick laps, with Pérez having nailed his lap and holding provisional pole.
Verstappen needed a perfect run on his final shot but was denied it when Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc crashed out, overcooking it through six and seven and going into the barriers.
With only 1min 36sec remaining, the session was ended by the red flags, and with not enough time to resume the grid was set from the first runs. Verstappen signalled his displeasure with a series of expletives over team radio, while F1 in contrast had the entertainingly mixed-up grid the sport craves.
Carlos Sainz was third for Ferrari, Kevin Magnussen fourth for Haas and Pierre Gasly in fifth for Alpine. Verstappen, who must pass them all in the race, held his hands up but remained bullish about his chances. “It was my mistake, I tried to put it on the limit and had to abort,” he said. “Then you rely a bit on luck but it can happen. The race is going to be tough, yes, I made it difficult for myself but I am targeting a minimum of P2.”
He will have a swathe of places to gain even to catch his teammate and, while the Red Bull is a rocket ship, passing on this circuit will be a formidable test.
After a monotonous procession at the last round in Baku, drivers are fearful this track will offer similar fare, with a perfect storm of issues militating against overtaking. Last year the track surface began to break up over the weekend, so it has been relaid and drivers have complained of a lack of grip from the fresh asphalt, especially off-line. It is a problem that has been exacerbated by the Pirelli tyres shedding excessive marbles.
There has also been disquiet because the FIA, the sport’s governing body, has shortened two of the drag reduction system zones at the circuit, a subject raised at the drivers’ briefing on Friday. It was an issue they had highlighted as impeding overtaking in Baku and they emphasised it was likely to result in a similar hampering of passing moves in Miami.
A long and genuinely testing afternoon awaits the world champion, then, while Pérez, with momentum from his win in Baku, is absolutely in a position to ignite his title challenge. With the championship a two-horse race between the Red Bull drivers, qualifying in Miami ensured Verstappen cannot take anything for granted.
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Behind them there was only further woe for Lewis Hamilton, who had warned he expected to struggle and could not escape from Q2, finishing in 13th. He was critical of his Mercedes team for sending him out for his final hot run too late catching traffic on his out lap. “When you are fast you can be more relaxed, go at the last minute and you know you will make it to Q3 but now we need to do better with our time,” he said.
George Russell was in sixth for Mercedes, Leclerc finished in seventh, Esteban Ocon in eighth for Alpine and Valtteri Bottas in 10th for Alfa Romeo.
Alex Albon was in 11th for Williams with Nico Hülkenberg in 12th for Haas. Guanyu Zhou was in 14th for Alfa Romeo with Nyck de Vries in 15th for AlphaTauri.
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were in 10th and 19th for McLaren. Yuki Tsunoda was 11th for AlphaTauri, Lance Stroll in 18th for Aston Martin and Miami local Logan Sargeant in 20th for Williams.
