Verstappen makes ‘rally’ joke as pundits debate ‘talent v luck’

Max Verstappen joked that if F1 doesn’t work out for him, he might need a future in rallying after a dramatic 360 spin at the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen had his best qualifying of this season at the Miami Autodrome when he put his updated RB22 up onto second place on the grid, having qualified just 0.166s slower than pole-sitter Lando Norris.

Max Verstappen jokes rally future after Miami 360 spin

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Having not been closer than eight-tenths in the previous three rounds, it was a notable improvement from Red Bull and one Verstappen hoped to capitalise on.

However, it went wrong for the four-time world champion on the opening lap as he challenged Charles Leclerc only to spin at Turn 2.

Verstappen managed to execute a perfect 360, impressing with his ability even in the face of a mistake.

The Dutch racer joked he could try his hand at rally after that manoeuvre.

“I lost the rear in Turn 2 and then of course I tried to minimise the time loss by doing a 360,” Verstappen told PlanetF1.com and other media.

“Yeah, I thought I was going to crash but then I floored it, so I managed to do a good 360.

“If F1 doesn’t work out I can always go rally.”

Asked if his minor contact with Leclerc as they battled for P1 had played a part in his spin, Verstappen denied that.

“Just one of those things,” he said. “I don’t think so.

“I mean, we just pushed, of course, into the corner, but, yeah, just lost something. The rear just started to slide. And once it goes, you know, with heavy fuel it’s hard to catch.”

Verstappen rejoined the pack in ninth place but dropped to 16th when he made an early pit stop on lap 7. He recovered to finish fifth in the classification despite a post-race penalty for crossing the white line at the exit of the pit lane.

“After that,” he continued, “I think the pace was not too bad on the medium, but as soon as I swapped to the hard compound, it was just a lot more difficult.

“I think now after the race it’s easy to say of course but I think that stint was just a bit too long.”

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Max Verstappen 360 spin: Talent v luck

However, not everyone was impressed with Verstappen’s ability to catch the car.

Speaking on F1TV’s post-race show, former F1 driver Jolyon Palmer told his fellow pundit Juan Pablo Montoya: “I think he’s got such a skill set at spinning cars and get it going again at the right point.”

Montoya, though, replied: “You say that’s talent?

“I thought it was pure luck.”

Palmer explained his reasoning, saying: “When you do it as often as Max, you have to say it’s talent. Spinning car, obviously, your scenery is changing all the time.”

To which Montoya replied: “Yeah. But the car always spins and then it slows down.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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