Max Verstappen had to fight his way through the midfield during the Miami GP. Although he started from the front row, the Dutchman fell back significantly in the opening lap after a spin. From P9, he worked his way forward again, but ultimately lacked the speed to secure a podium place – he ended up in fifth place. Carlos Sainz criticized Verstappen’s driving style during the race, but he was hardly impressed by it.
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After an early pit stop, Verstappen found himself at the back of the midfield, after which he fought his way past his competitors one by one. When he finally also passed Carlos Sainz, it was not without a fight – at least, that was the Spaniard’s judgment. “He (Verstappen, ed.) pushed me off,” he raged over the radio. “He thinks he can just do anything because he’s racing in the midfield.”
Jungle
Afterwards, Sainz further explained his comment. “No disrespect, but what he did in turn seventeen was almost a kind of launch,” said the Williams driver. Unnecessary, he explained. “Max knows that we in the midfield can’t really fight him and that at some point we have to let him pass. It probably came from some frustration after that spin and his urge to get forward as quickly as possible. But well, that’s racing. I don’t want to criticize it too much. At that moment it felt like we were going to crash, and he also passed me off the track, causing me to lose three places.”
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Verstappen was confronted with Sainz’s criticism after the race, but he simply laughed it off. “The midfield is just a bit of a jungle,” he joked. He himself was cautiously positive about his performance in Miami. The Dutchman clearly managed better with his upgraded Red Bull, although the team still has a long way to go.
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