Max Verstappen hails Red Bull turnaround after ‘total passenger’ struggles ease in Miami

Max Verstappen was full of praise for how Red Bull has turned things around between Japan and Miami, having gone from being a “total passenger” to qualifying P2 in his RB22.

The four-time world champion managed to qualify on the front row for the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday, just behind the Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli, who secured pole for the third race running.

Max Verstappen sees ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ after Miami turnaround

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Verstappen sits ninth in the early Drivers’ standings as the Dutch racer has not gelled with his RB22 following the introduction of Formula 1’s new regulations in 2026.

With several minor adjustments to the rules having been made in Miami, along with a swathe of upgrades at Red Bull, the four-time world champion felt more connected to his car throughout Saturday’s action.

Having said after qualifying that this performance feels like a “light at the end of the tunnel”, he sat down in front of the media and declared that the learning curve for Red Bull, alongside its partnership with Ford in its Red Bull Powertrains project, was steeper than most teams.

However, after a few rounds, he and his car have managed to click.

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Asked by PlanetF1.com what has felt different for him in Miami, he replied: “Honestly, it’s everything, because before, nothing really worked.

“I felt like a total passenger in the car. It could understeer, it could snap on me, it could feel different from one session to the other without even touching parts. So we understood a lot of stuff, I think.

“We’re still not where we want to be in terms of understanding everything, but most of it. That has showed that here, the car just feels a lot more together.

“I can finally drive how I want to drive, also with just my steering inputs, and that helps a lot, and then I think also with the energy management.

“I think everyone is learning every single weekend. So are we. Of course, we are completely new manufacturers, so I think our learning curve is probably a little bit more steep. But, they’re doing a really good job, and it’s just getting better and better every time.”

Sunday will be another learning curve for the 28-year-old and his rivals as they gear up for a potentially wet Miami Grand Prix.

Although the FIA has moved the race forward by three hours to avoid the late afternoon thunderstorms, there is still a 37 per cent of rain.

Verstappen is one of only a handful of drivers who has experienced the new cars in the wet.

Giving his verdict of what the drivers can expect, he said: “Quite slippery.

“I’ve driven them, of course, in in Barcelona – I think it was only me and Charles that day we were driving so it’s was quite lonely.

“Yeah, it’s quite a handful. It’s not going to be easy, but let’s first also wait and see how much water is going to come down, because that also makes a big difference.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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