After a problematic Friday at the Formula One weekend in Miami, Max Verstappen is happy with P3 in qualifying, despite a driving mistake in Q3
Formula One world champion Max Verstappen had to settle for third on the grid in qualifying in Miami after a mistake on his final lap in Q3, which means he will start the race behind the two Ferrari drivers.
“It’s very slippery off the racing line and I didn’t really know where the limit was,” Verstappen analysed his mistake in turn four, which cost him the chance to beat his fastest time from race one. “But actually I’m pretty happy with qualifying because I could only do four or five laps yesterday.”
“You just can’t afford to do that on a new track like this. On a normal track it’s easy to get into a rhythm, but on a street circuit it’s much harder. We could have done a much better job today if we had had a clean Friday,” Verstappen said.
“Today for me was about learning the track and finding a good balance for the car. And if I’m honest, I was surprised that we fought for pole position because it’s not easy to learn this track. Obviously I would have liked to have taken pole, but considering where we came from, we did a decent job. “
Red Bull hope for top speed advantage in race
On Friday, the Dutchman was able to complete just one lap in the second free practice session due to a hydraulics problem, while there were only 14 of those in the first session as well. Red Bull motor sport consultant Helmut Marko therefore stresses that Verstappen came back well on Saturday, although he would have hoped for a little more.
“We were optimistic because the build-up from Q1 to Q2 was very good. But then the mistake happened in turn four and that was the end of it,” said Marko, who has high hopes for the race as Red Bull are 8km/h faster than Ferrari on the straights.
“If we are on it when the DRS is unlocked, then it should open up a chance for us to overtake. We hope to have an exciting race and we hope to be able to overtake. “
For the upcoming races, Verstappen is hoping for more problem-free weekends, “We need to start not making life so difficult for ourselves because it’s always going to be tricky like that. But I’m looking forward to tomorrow because we have a good chance. Our top speed is good and the car feels pretty good too. “
