Max Verstappen says that Red Bull “can’t afford” to have race weekends disrupted by problems with their car as they battle against Ferrari this season.
Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jnr locked out the front row of the grid for today’s Miami Grand Prix with Verstappen taking third on the grid ahead of team mate Sergio Perez.
Verstappen’s Friday running was heavily compromised by overheating problems that limited his running in first practice before further problems meant he was unable to set a single timed lap in the second session. On Saturday Verstappen managed 20 laps in third practice but spun at the end of the session, pitting before the chequered flag.
The spin meant that Verstappen has not carried out a single practice start heading into today’s race, leaving him unsure about his prospects of beating the Ferraris off the line.
“I haven’t even done a start so I don’t even know how that’s going to go,” said Verstappen. “I haven’t seen any other starts and I honestly cannot tell you because I haven’t done a start on the left side or on the right-hand side.
“That just sums up my weekend – it’s just been incredibly messy. We just make it super-difficult for ourselves. Basically [only] four or five laps yesterday, then you start today still learning the track, try to find a set-up because yesterday you have no clue what works, because there’s not really a lot of data to look at.
“I’m of course still pleased to be in third position and actually be very close to the guys next to me but I think we can do so much better by just actually operating a bit cleaner and smoother.”
Verstappen says that having limited running at an entirely new track is something the team “cannot afford” when they are fighting with Ferrari for victories this season.
“You cannot afford that on a new track, like this, and a street circuit in general, because it’s very critical to just do laps…