Max Verstappen appeared to be a different person after qualifying for the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix, mainly due to a different level of performance from his Red Bull RB22.
The Dutchman has been dour and dispondent for much of the 2026 season so far, having been forced to contend with an underperforming car amid the new regulations, to which he has railed against.
But it appears that within F1’s enforced five-week break, in which it tested and brought its own version of Ferrari’s ‘Macarena’ wing, the Milton Keynes-based squad has found itself in a fettle somewhat finer than it had previously.
And it showed with Verstappen taking his first front-row start of the season, and with the positivity the four-time World Champion exuded when speaking after qualifying.
“A lot of things,” he told media, including Motorsport Week, when asked what pleased him most about the car’s improvement.
“I mean, so many things were not working up until this weekend. So, for us, bringing the car back together, also for me in the car itself, a few things have changed, and it made it a lot more comfortable to drive. And just I feel a lot more confidence and I don’t feel like I’m a passenger anymore in the car. That was already quite evident yesterday.
“And then I think today the Sprint was not too bad. I could finally follow the cars ahead of me instead of them just pulling away and not see them again. And then some tiny changes for qualifying and it seemed like that helped again a little bit. And yeah, to be on the front row, coming from over a second behind in the previous race, is really incredible.”
Verstappen will be in need of an earlier alarm call, with the race now kicking of at 1pm local time, with the increasing threat of thunderstorms causing the event to be moved forward by three hours.
READ MORE – Lando Norris heaps praise on Max Verstappen’s Nurburgring exploits
Discussion about this post