Max Verstappen’s Mixed Fortunes at Miami Grand Prix

Saturday at the Miami Grand Prix was a rollercoaster ride for four-time world champion, Max Verstappen. He clinched an impressive pole position for the main race but saw his sprint race crumble due to an unsafe release by Red Bull. When asked about his feelings after securing pole, Verstappen responded: “You can’t change that now. Of course it wasn’t ideal, but ultimately qualifying is where you can score the most points for Sunday.

Frustrating Failed Pitstop

However, the failed pitstop was a source of frustration for Verstappen. With a near-certain podium position, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko even suggested a win was possible before the mishap. The pitstop to swap intermediates for slicks and the subsequent unsafe release led to a collision with Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, costing Verstappen valuable track position and eventually ruling him out of points.

Verstappen made it clear that execution needs to be flawless as the RB21 is still not on par with McLaren. “I came into the garage after the race and of course they already knew it themselves, but you have to understand that I’m not happy about it either,” Verstappen said.

Impact on Title Aspirations

When asked if these mistakes could be detrimental to his title aspirations in the long run, Verstappen was firm: “That’s true, but they know that too. It really shouldn’t happen, but it does. We need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.

The Red Bull Pitlane Woes

The issue in Miami, as Marko also pointed out, was different from the problems encountered in Bahrain. “This was a judgment error [rather than an equipment failure, as was the case in Bahrain],” Marko told Motorsport.com. “You have to press a button, and you have all sorts of references for when you can release it and when not.“That went wrong.

Despite this, a pattern seems to be emerging. Red Bull, once the pitlane benchmark, is no longer in that position in 2025. “Yes,” conceded Marko, “but of course other teams are also trying to improve. You can’t say they hit a wall every year.“Everyone improves, and right now things just aren’t going well for us.

The Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc Fallacy

Some have linked the pitlane glitches to the recent departure of sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, who is now Sauber’s team principal. However, Verstappen dismissed this notion: “Certain people now have different roles, but I think it’s too easy to immediately blame it on that. It just shouldn’t happen, that’s very clear.