With a broad smile, Max Verstappen climbed out of his Red Bull car Saturday evening after a stunning qualifying session. Pole position was just out of reach, but the four-time world champion from Red Bull secured a spot on the front row for the Miami Grand Prix. And that had been a while. “Amazing,” team principal Laurent Mekies commented over the radio.
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Verstappen himself was also extremely satisfied with his second-best time, behind polesitter and world championship leader Kimi Antonelli. “I didn’t feel comfortable in the car earlier. The team has pushed hard over the past weeks to improve the car and the upgrades are working. I feel more in control and can push more. All the work is paying off. This result is much better than I expected for this weekend,” said Max Verstappen.
‘Trying to close the gap further’
Earlier in the day, Verstappen had already finished a respectable fifth in the sprint race on the Miami semi-street circuit. “We have taken a big step in the right direction. We can fight again with the car in front of us,” he said after that session.
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Incidentally, the Miami Grand Prix has never been won from pole position. Combined with the prospect of rain, the outlook for Max Verstappen looks good, but he did not want to get ahead of himself. Max Verstappen: “Let’s first start with a good start. I haven’t had many of those this year. But the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight. From here, we can try to close the gap further.”
Read more FIA issues official weather warning for GP Miami
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