'If Formula 1 doesn’t work out, I can always go rally!'

The Dutchman’s race was a rollercoaster, initially undoing his front-row start with a spin off the line that dropped him into the midfield, although the mistake could have cost him far more. The four-time world champion then launched a fierce recovery drive, also benefiting from a safety car deployed to clear debris from his team-mate’s RB22 and Pierre Gasly’s Alpine, the latter having been hit by Liam Lawson in the opening laps.

Speaking to GPblog and other media after the race, Verstappen took the incident in good humour, joking that he could have a future in rallying if things were to go wrong in Formula 1: "If Formula 1 doesn’t work out, I can always go rally!"

He also explained that he lost the rear through Turn 2 and opted to spin the car around to limit the damage, initially fearing a crash before committing to full throttle and successfully pulling off the 360: "I lost the rear in Turn 2 and then, of course, I tried to minimize the time loss by doing a 360. I thought I was gonna crash, but then I floored it, so I managed to do a good 360."

The Spanish driver was far from pleased with the four-time world champion’s approach on track, as Verstappen went on the attack in a bid to recover quickly after his spin at the start. Sainz felt he had been forced off while battling in the midfield, voicing his frustration over the radio after being overtaken. When asked about those comments after the race, Verstappen offered little reaction, suggesting that racing in the midfield can be a 'jungle' and leaving it at that.

Instead, the Dutchman focused on his own race, pointing to clear progress from Red Bull following a raft of upgrades introduced in Miami. He also reiterated his reservations about the latest rule tweaks brought in over the weekend, making it clear they still do not align with how he believes Formula 1 should be.