Max Verstappen said he is very pleased with the progress Red Bull has made after claiming his first front-row start of the season.
Verstappen was consistently competitive through qualifying, setting a strong time on used tyres in Q1 and posting the quickest time of all in Q2. He was one of the few drivers to improve on their final Q3 run, moving up to second on the grid behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
He said the result demonstrated Red Bull had made genuine progress with the upgrades introduced to the RB22 this weekend.
“For sure the car has not been great in the previous races,” Verstappen explained. His best qualifying result before this weekend had been eighth place. “But also from my side I never felt comfortable with the layout of the car. Over the last few weeks the team has been pushing flat-out to bring upgrades and make me feel more comfortable with many aspects of the car, and it has really paid off.
“I feel more in control of the car again and can push more. The upgrades are working, and being on the front row is far better than I expected heading into this weekend.”
Significant question marks hang over tomorrow’s race, with heavy rain and thunderstorms forecast. Verstappen said he was pleased with the team’s performance this weekend regardless of how the race unfolds.
“Let’s first start with a good start,” he said. “I’ve not had many this year, so we’ll try to improve that and see what the weather does tomorrow.
“But I’m already very happy with where we are. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and we can push on and try to close the gap further.”
He added he had been encouraged by the car’s performance in the dry sprint earlier in the day. “It looked alright once I was in clean air, but of course tomorrow is a completely different day.”
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter andgo ad-free
Miss nothing from RaceFans
Get a daily email with all our latest stories — and nothing else. No marketing, no ads. Sign up here:
2026 Miami Grand Prix
- Miami stats: Mercedes have now won at every track on the F1 calendar – so far
- F1 drivers say they are still at the mercy of their power units over a flying lap
- McLaren’s Miami GP radio messages show the scars of Qatar GP tactical error
- ‘This is not the level F1 should be’: Norris tells F1 to ‘ditch the battery’
- Lawson was right: Racing Bulls should not have ordered him to let Verstappen past
Browse all 2026 Miami Grand Prix articles