F1 LIVE | Will new floor help Verstappen challenge McLaren in Sprint Qualifying?

McLaren came into Miami as the clear dominant force, although, said superiority comes with the added pressure that in order to be capitalised on, the papaya team - and its drivers - must execute everything to perfection.

If they don't, a certain 4-time world champion, Max Verstappen - about to be a first-time father (or perhaps he already is) - is always waiting to pounce and steal valuable championship points from their grasp.

Mercedes head into the race weekend in Florida after a rather uninspiring outing in Jeddah, where Russell claims he drove quicker than the car could go, and still was nowhere near the podium places, something he attributed to the heat, which doesn't bode well for their Miami Grand Prix outlook. Although he does believe the qualifying pace will 'be there'.

Ferrari are still looking for answers. The Constructors' title contenders just 6 months ago, have lost their way after a rather radical concept change ahead of the season have left them well away from vying for the top prizes.

Lewis Hamilton is also looking for a change in form after his heavily dejected comments regarding his performances for the Scuderia so far, with Charles Leclerc being consistently and blatantly quicker than the world champion.

For Red Bull, although on the outside there would seem to be less pressure as they are now the hunters, nothing could be further from the truth. The team's in a tough spot and should their performance not turn around then it is understood its leadership is at risk.

Plus, Verstappen's permanence with the Austrian is not a given, particularly if the team fail to provide him with a championship contending car.

Yuki Tsunoda is running his fourth F1 race weekend for Red Bull and aims at succeeding where Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez failed. Although, as reported by GPblog earlier, the Japanese driver will have to make do without the major update to the floor, which Red Bull have put on Verstappen's car only.

The race in Florida represents another chance for the Japanese driver to settle further into Red Bull and possibly extend his stay with the team and in F1 beyond 2025.