Miami GP: Verstappen Points to Progress but Lacks Race-Winning Speed

Red Bull improve a lot, yet Verstappen admits pace deficit remains

The four-time champion welcomed the upgraded car but said victory was not realistic at the Miami Grand Prix.

An opening-lap spin and Safety Car strategy shaped Verstappen’s race as teammate Isack Hadjar crashed out early...

Max Verstappen said Red Bull have made big gains but still don’t have the pace to fight for wins, after taking fifth at Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix.

The four-time champion said he enjoyed driving the heavily upgraded car as he chased his first win of the season, but an opening-lap spin cost him ground.

“I lost the rear and tried to minimise the time loss,” he said of his chaotic first lap, which led to him making an early pit stop.

Chequered flag on a chaotic Race in Miami🌴

Both Bulls pushed to gain places; unfortunately, Isack’s Race ended early after finding the wall.

🏁 | ANT, NOR, PIA, RUS, Max 💪, LEC, HAM, COL, SAI, ALB#F1 || #MiamiGP 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/WKhRDmHgzS

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) May 3, 2026

“Early on, the hard tyre didn't work for us and it was tough,” he added. “We dropped quite heavily down the pack.

“Maybe I could've been in the place Oscar (Piastri) finished (third) if we did enough, but it's always easy to say that afterwards.”

“Unfortunately, we are still lacking a bit, but we'll be better. I don't know how much more pace there is.”

At 28, the Dutch driver said the car was better but he still couldn’t have realistically challenged for victory in Miami.

“It was tough,” he said. “We've improved a lot this weekend, but still lack a bit and for sure there's more pace to unlock.”

Verstappen’s teammate Isack Hadjar started last after a qualifying disqualification, then crashed out on lap six.

He hit the barriers in the chicane, and the resulting Safety Car gave Verstappen a low-cost pit stop.

“It was a tough one and for me, obviously, breaking the car is pissing me off a lot,” said Hadjar. “It was easy points today considering the car I had so I feel I just threw it all away.

“I can't really remember what happened because it went so very quickly. It felt like it was a big hit and I didn't see it coming. The car was broken and I couldn't stop it.

“It just shows how much you need to be focused and I wasn't.”