Max Verstappen Ready to Battle for Podium Finish at Miami Grand Prix

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Despite starting in ninth place on the grid, Max Verstappen is determined to secure a minimum of second place in the Miami Grand Prix on Sunday. In an interview, he stated confidently, "Minimum is P2."

Verstappen Blames Own Mistake for Poor Qualifying Result

While a mistake made by a Ferrari driver cost Verstappen a shot at the pole, the Red Bull Racing driver took full responsibility for his less-than-ideal starting position.

He admitted, "Yeah, of course that [the red flag] is unfortunate. But first of all, we didn't do a lap and that was my fault. It was extremely tricky." Verstappen explained how a slight misstep on the track led to his disappointing performance. "I was a little bit off line out of [Turn] 6 and into 7.

I felt a bit of understeer and I just couldn't get it back in the line. So I aborted my lap and then of course you need a bit of luck, of course hoping that there won't be a red flag," he said. Despite the setback, Verstappen remains optimistic about the speed of his car.

He reflected, "The whole weekend we have been pretty quick, my Q2 lap was fast enough for pole in Q3. I guess that says that we have a quick car but you need to put it together, and when it matters, we didn't. That's a bit frustrating from my part."

Championship Not Won Yet, Verstappen Remains Unfazed

Despite the potential to fall behind his teammate in the standings, Verstappen remains unfazed.

He stated, "It's not a great day, but the championship isn't won tomorrow. I've been in this position before, you have sometimes a few setbacks but that doesn't mean that it carries on for the rest of the year or whatever. It can't always be perfect, you hope that it's going to be perfect. Last year we had a tough start, but you still need to nail a few bits yourself. Today was not great."