Steiner’s bold Verstappen prediction ahead of the Miami GP

Max Verstappen will join Kimi Antonelli and George Russell on the Miami Grand Prix podium, but he’ll be behind the Mercedes team-mates.

That’s former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner’s bold prediction for this weekend’s wet race in the Sunshine State.

Guenther Steiner predicts Mercedes Miami 1-2 ahead of Max Verstappen

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Four races into the Formula 1 season, and it seems everyone but Steiner is predicting a big reset in the championship.

So far, F1 2026 has been all Mercedes, the team claiming every pole position and a race win, including back-to-back 1-2 results in the Australian and Chinese Grands Prix.

The team has stormed to a 45-point lead in the Constructors’ standings ahead of Ferrari, while Antonelli leads the Drivers’ Championship by nine points ahead of Russell.

But, it could all change in Miami.

Formula 1 has not only tweaked the engine regulations, reducing the permitted recharge in qualifying to 7MJ to lessen the need for super clipping or battery harvesting, the maximum Boost during the grands prix is down to +150 kW.

Although the changes apply to all five power unit manufacturers, it has been speculated that the Mercedes’ works team could be the hardest hit, as they have been able to exploit their energy management better than their rivals.

The engine management isn’t the only big change in Miami, in fact it could be the one that has the lesser impact with all the teams expected to bring big updates for their cars.

The teams had a four-week break between Japan and Miami, giving them the opportunity to focus solely on developing their cars back in the factories.

Steiner, though, reckons Mercedes will still come out on top with Red Bull and Verstappen making big gains to join the team-mates on the podium.

More Miami Grand Prix predictions

Miami Grand Prix predictions split PlanetF1 writers as upgrades shake pecking order

Martin Brundle predicts Ferrari surge amid wild three-way title fight

“I think Mercedes will win,” he told a betting website.

“I think they are pretty strong and it will be a good battle between the two guys at Mercedes, between Kimi and George.

“I think Max will maybe surprise us, though, because Miami as a track is a little bit different for the cars with the power units.

“So, I think we will see less of the charging and recharging, which will help Max make it to the podium.”

The Italian also weighed in on the Drivers’ Championship, which at present is being led by Antonelli.

He predicts Russell, with his eight years of experience on the grid, will overhaul his team-mate to take the title..

“For me, it’s George,” he said.

“Mercedes is very strong this year, and George with his experience, will at some stage take him to winning the World Championship, and more importantly, he really wants one. He puts all the effort in.

“It’s been a long time for him to wait to have this opportunity, and it’s there now, and he will take it. I don’t think he will miss out on it.”

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Mekies insists Max Verstappen ‘fully committed’ amid F1 future speculation