Max Verstappen takes 5th at Miami after a spin but still wants improvements to his car

TL;DR

Max Verstappen finished fifth at the Miami Grand Prix after a spin on the first lap. Despite his best result of the season, he still seeks improvements to his Red Bull car.

Key points

Max Verstappen finished fifth at the Miami Grand Prix
He spun from second place on the opening lap
Verstappen is seeking improvements to his Red Bull car
Kimi Antonelli won the race
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished sixth after a late spin

Mentioned in this story

Miami International Autodrome

Max VerstappenKimi AntonelliCharles LeclercRed Bull

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Max Verstappen was feeling a bit more comfortable in his car at the Miami Grand Prix, but the four-time Formula 1 champion still believes Red Bull has improvements to make. After testing out Red Bull's upgrades made during a five-week break in the F1 schedule, Verstappen had his best result of the season on Sunday, finishing fifth despite spinning from second on the opening lap. Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the current car regulations, even going as far as saying he's considering leaving the sport. He left Miami only slightly happier with the car. “I mean, my car drives a bit better,” said Verstappen, who qualified a season-best second for the race at Miami International Autodrome. “But what I said before about the regulations is the same. ... It’s still not how I would like to see it.” Verstappen was part of a chaotic start to Sunday's race when he spun trying to hold off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had surged to the lead ahead of eventual winner Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes on the opening lap. The spin caused Verstappen to fall to ninth. “Quite hectic,” Verstappen said. “I lost the rear into Turn 2. Then I tried to minimize the time loss by doing a 360. I thought I was going to crash but then I floored it and managed to do a good 360. So if F1 doesn't work out, I could always go Rally (racing).” Verstappen worked his way through the midfield back into third, even briefly taking the lead as others pitted. He attempted to make it a one-stop race, an approach that eventually cost him. “After that (spin) I think the pace was not too bad on the medium (tires),” he said, “but as soon as I swapped to the hard compound (tires) it was just a lot more difficult. Now, after the race it’s easy to say of course, but I think that stint was just a bit too long.”

Tough weekend for Ferrari

Leclerc settled for a sixth-place finish despite getting off to a strong start from third. He was among the leaders throughout the race, but a costly move on the penultimate lap caused him to spin and hit the barriers. “The damage was significant,” Leclerc said afterward, adding: “I'm very disappointed with myself. It's all on me and it's not acceptable.” Leclerc's teammate Lewis Hamilton said it was a disappointing weekend he qualified sixth and finished seventh. Hamilton's car was affected by an apparent collision with Franco Colapinto of Alpine at the start. “Overall, it was a challenging weekend, but I believe we have a good car and there are some positives to take away,” Hamilton said. “We just need to keep pushing, both at the factory and at the track, to keep adding performance and close the gap as we move forward.”

Q&A

What position did Max Verstappen finish in the Miami Grand Prix?

Max Verstappen finished in fifth place at the Miami Grand Prix.

What caused Max Verstappen to fall to ninth during the race?

Verstappen fell to ninth after spinning while trying to hold off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc on the opening lap.

What did Verstappen say about the car regulations after the race?

Verstappen expressed that he is still not satisfied with the current car regulations and believes improvements are needed.

Who won the Miami Grand Prix?

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes won the Miami Grand Prix.