Verstappen couldn't do more due to Red Bull's limitations: 'It will be tough'

00:08, 03 May

byNorberto Mujica

In the end Max Verstappen could only be P4 as the flag dropped in the Sprint Qualifying. But starting from the second row, can the Dutchman compete for the top step in the Miami Sprint race?

Verstappen praised Red Bull's Jeddah-like approach to final run in qualifying, highlighting the way his RB21 managed to preserve the tyres to do a 1 push lap, 2 cool down laps, 1 final push lap run in SQ3. However, the Austrian team's car's weaknesses prevented the Dutchman from achieving a better result.

"I think what we also did in Q3 was good the tyres holding on quite well, but unfortunately already from FP1 [I was] just struggling with a lot of understeer in the car and around here with all these low speed corners you just lose quite a bit of lap time."

"I think you can see in the first sector we're quite competitive because that's where a few high-speed corners are but as soon as you get to the low speed we just lack quite a bit of a quite a bit of grip."

Verstappen predicts tough Miami Sprint tomorrow

Verstappen states that Red Bull are not where they want to be, but with the hot conditions estimated for Miami, he expect little more of the Sprint race tomorrow morning.

"P4 is alright I mean it's of course not where I want to be but you also need to be realistic with the limitations that we have at the moment and I think it was still quite close. "

"Honestly it's always very difficult to say in a sprint weekend because there's no real proper data in long runs because you don't know what others are doing with fuel loads and stuff."

"But just going off my own feeling with how I also felt just balance wise with the car, I think it will be it will be tough with the heat. And we know our limitations. So we just need to try and make the best of it."