Verstappen backtracks on upgrades verdict? 'If you look at the gap...'

Updated: 06:19, 05 May 2025

A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.

Max Verstappen, after his pole on Saturday, had to accept that the McLarens were too fast for him at the Miami Grand Prix. A frustrating result? The Dutchman disagrees for one particular reason.

Speaking to media including GPblog, after the race in Miami, Verstappen stated his P4 result did not frustrate him. Why? The Dutchman himself explains. "We are here to win and today we were miles off that, so it doesn't really matter if you're a P3 or P4."

"They [the McLarens] were just miles up the road, they were much faster than everyone else on a track where the thermal degradation is very high. They just have a massive advantage, I think that's quite clear," said Verstappen explaining the reason why Red Bull were unable to challenge McLaren in Florida.

Verstappen on Red Bull's upgrades for Miami and Imola

The Austrian team brought an upgrade for the RB21 in Miami, whereas Verstappen thought yesterday that it had yielded some gains, after today he cautiously refrains from confirming his previous assessment.

"If you look at the gap, not. But I don't know, it's very hard to say. We'll keep working on it," before replying regarding the differences in the RB21's performance in qualifying and the race.

"Honestly, I think if you look at the onboards in qualifying, I think it's quite clear [how the car behaves]. But then in the race, you don't need to go flat out on the limit. And then if, of course, your tyres are just running cooler, then you have more grip. It's as simple as that."

Pos.	Driver	Team	Points
1	Kimi Antonelli Kimi Antonelli	MercedesMER	156
2	Lewis Hamilton Lewis Hamilton	FerrariFER	115
3	George Russell George Russell	MercedesMER	106
4	Charles Leclerc Charles Leclerc	FerrariFER	75
5	Lando Norris Lando Norris	McLarenMCL	73
6	Oscar Piastri Oscar Piastri	McLarenMCL	70
7	Max Verstappen Max Verstappen	Red Bull RacingRBR	55
8	Isack Hadjar Isack Hadjar	Red Bull RacingRBR	37
9	Pierre Gasly Pierre Gasly	AlpineALP	32
10	Liam Lawson Liam Lawson	Racing BullsRCB	28
11	Franco Colapinto Franco Colapinto	AlpineALP	19
12	Oliver Bearman Oliver Bearman	HaasHAA	18
13	Arvid Lindblad Arvid Lindblad	Racing BullsRCB	14
14	Carlos Sainz Carlos Sainz	WilliamsWIL	6
15	Alexander Albon Alexander Albon	WilliamsWIL	5
16	Esteban Ocon Esteban Ocon	HaasHAA	3
17	Gabriel Bortoleto Gabriel Bortoleto	AudiAUD	2
18	Fernando Alonso Fernando Alonso	Aston MartinAST	1
19	Nico Hulkenberg Nico Hulkenberg	AudiAUD	0
20	Valtteri Bottas Valtteri Bottas	CadillacCAD	0
21	Sergio Perez Sergio Perez	CadillacCAD	0
22	Lance Stroll Lance Stroll	Aston MartinAST	0

Verstappen backtracks on upgrades verdict? 'If you look at the gap...'

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