Max Verstappen did not win the F1 Grand Prix of Miami, but did not have a bad weekend by expanding his championship lead with a sprint victory and P2 on Sunday. It was Lando Norris who earned his first win. Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet looks back on the event in Florida on Instagram.
Verstappen was fastest in Friday’s sprint qualifying. “Lol, what happened to the rest?”, the Limburger said via the board radio, surprised that he had taken pole position. On Saturday he led every lap of the Sprint in pursuit of victory. Not satisfied, he described the balance of his Red Bull RB20 as “horrendous” and said he had “zero grip”. Later that day he also clocked the best lap time in qualifying for the Sunday race. Verstappen led the first half of the Grand Prix, but it was not possible to build a lead over Oscar Piastri and the Ferraris. A free pit stop during a Safety Car period gave Norris first place and the McLaren driver remained in that position after the restart. Verstappen had to settle for second place.
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With a police escort to a nightclub
“Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose,” Verstappen said after the race. “But if a bad day means finishing P2, then that’s fine.” He seemed especially happy for Norris, a very good friend of his. The Briton held the record for the most podiums without a victory and that first victory had been coming for a while. Thanks to Norris’ victory, that record is back with Nick Heidfeld.
Verstappen’s partner Kelly Piquet saw what happened up close throughout the weekend, including the start where Max was almost eliminated by teammate Sergio Pérez. After the race they were taken with a police escort to the E11even nightclub where Norris’ victory was celebrated.
