MIAMI, FLORIDA – MAY 3: Dutch driver Max Verstappen, of Oracle Red Bull Racing, celebrates in the closed park during the Sprint Qualifying before the Formula 1 Grand Prix of Miami at Miami International Autodrome on May 3, 2024 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
The qualifying session near Miami Dolphins was absolutely insane. When everything settled down, Verstappen emerged as the leader on the timing screens, with a time 0.108 seconds faster than Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. He also had a comfortable advantage of about a quarter of a second over his Red Bull teammate, Sergio Perez, who secured the third position.
Surprisingly, there was no sign of McLaren cars in the top positions, even though Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were considered strong contenders after the second qualifying session. However, they struggled to improve their times in the final session, while Verstappen managed to find another four tenths of a second, which ultimately made all the difference.
During the post-qualifying interviews in the Parc Ferme, Verstappen was asked about his pole-winning lap in the Miami Sprint Race. He expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that he felt really terrible. He mentioned that the last session was extremely challenging, especially when it came to getting the tires to work properly. He admitted that he also didn’t feel well during the second qualifying session and that the feeling was quite similar in the third session.
Verstappen also explained that he didn’t really improve on the soft tires, but somehow they managed to secure the first position. He acknowledged that he happily accepted the result, but didn’t enjoy the qualifying session, unlike the practice sessions where he felt comfortable and confident.
He speculated that the track layout may have played a role in his performance. After the practice sessions, he was confident they could fight for pole position, but during qualifying, that didn’t seem likely. However, they ended up in first place, and he wasn’t sure what happened to the other cars on the last lap.
In the Red Bull report from Miami, Verstappen, three-time Formula 1 world champion and current championship leader, mentioned that the track surface had a significant impact on performance due to tire sensitivity. He believed that everyone else struggled during the last lap with the soft tires.
Verstappen acknowledged they needed to analyze and question why their performance was different during qualifying compared to practice. However, he expressed confidence they would figure it out and do well in the next Sprint race. He concluded by stating they had a great starting position and hoped to maximize it. Once the tires settled, he believed they would return to pace.
In the team report, Perez summarized his qualifying session stating that it was a challenging session. They had only one attempt with the soft compound tire and were not able to fully exploit its potential due to changes in grip. Perez acknowledged that luck plays a role in the car’s performance with little practice. He recognized McLaren as the fastest cars on track, but noted they also struggled with the soft compound. Perez expressed the team’s need to improve their performance with this tire and hoped to figure it out before Saturday’s race. He remained optimistic about their progress and anticipated a stronger race pace.
The Red Bull F1 team boss, Christian Horner, expressed his satisfaction with the qualifying results. He admitted that during Q2, it seemed like they wouldn’t have the strongest car, especially with the medium tire. The wind was a contributing factor to the challenging conditions. However, both drivers performed admirably, and the team exceeded their expectations by securing the first and third positions on the starting grid. Horner mentioned Max’s surprise at securing pole position, as he didn’t believe his lap was exceptional. However, the difficult conditions affected everyone, leading to a favorable outcome for Red Bull. Horner acknowledged the team’s achievement but emphasized that there is still a lot of work to be done before the race.
© 2024
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