Max Verstappen will start first in the Formula 1 Sprint race in Miami – – 2024-05-05 23:26:05

Max Verstappen and Red Bull continue to be the reference in Formula 1 and this Friday the three-time world champion achieved pole position for the Miami Grand Prix Sprint race, which will be held this Saturday in the preview of the main competition that will be on Sunday in the street circuit that surrounds Hard Rock Stadium. In the midst of that joy and also surprise because the 26-year-old Dutchman did not expect to finish ahead.

The situation of Red Bull, the world champion team that has been crushing in the last three seasons, is particular. His boss, Christian Horner, has not yet managed to get out of the scandal due to her co-worker’s complaint for alleged inappropriate conduct and coercive behavior. Although the team-manager was acquitted, he is still involved in the issue.

In addition, the Austrian team announced the departure of its design chief, Adrian Newey, by 2025 and rumors suggest that he will move to Ferrari, where Lewis Hamilton has already confirmed his arrival. They both know each other from the McLaren days, when the seven-time world champion was 13 years old and began to be sponsored in karting by the Woking squad.

While Verstappen spoke about his plans and for the moment conveyed peace of mind to his team. “My future is with Red Bull, at the moment,” he said in an interview with De Telegraaf. Despite being on Mercedes’ radar, he maintained that “I understand that Toto (Wolff) is interested and optimistic, but again, all I can say is that I want to stay in the team.”

The possibility of leaving first arose with the Horner scandal. His father, Jos, a former F1 driver, stated that if the team-manager did not leave, the team was going to implode. However, Max insisted that he will stay “because I have faith in this project. But deep down, you don’t know what will happen in the future.”

For now the Dutchman did again what he knows best, which is to drive an F1 car and this Friday despite expressing his discomfort for not having the best pace in qualifying for the Sprint race, he also took advantage of the fact that his closest competitors like Charles Leclerc could not get the most out of his Ferrari. The Monegasque had a particular episode in free practice since he spun, his car was crossed and it took him several minutes to adjust it to continue on the track. One of those who had to wait for him was Hamilton, who ironically told him on the radio, “Charles, take the time you need.”

Others who had problems were the Mercedes drivers, Hamilton himself and his teammate George Russell, who could not reach the third and final qualifying cut and did not get into the top ten. This Saturday in the Sprint race, Russell will start eleventh and Hamilton, twelfth.

Thus, Verstappen was left with the best record for this Saturday’s competition and will look for another victory. It should be remembered that once the Sprint race is over, qualification for the main competition on Sunday will take place.

This is the sixth round of the season with Verstappen as the championship leader, with 110 points and 25 ahead of his teammate, Sergio Checo Pérez.