Dominant performance by Max Verstappen in Miami – different strategy paved the way for another victory: “Pleased to be able to win from ninth grid”

Red Bull continues to impress in Formula 1. In the Miami GP it was a double victory as Max Verstappen won ahead of Sergio Perez. There were no points for Valtteri Bottas.

Max Verstappen was forced to start from the ninth grid as he did not get any time in Q3 in Saturday’s qualifying. It led him to choose a different strategy than the competition and it took him to victory.

Verstappen started with hard tires and passed the competitors one by one. He needed just 15 laps to move up to second and was then able to wait for the right moment to put in the bump on team mate Sergio Perez.

The reigning world champion was able to make a later pit stop and with better tires at the end, Perez was a mouthful. Verstappen took the lead with ten laps to go, then held it all the way to the finish.

– I avoided problems at the beginning and had a clean race. I was able to stay out on the track lower with my hard tires and that made the difference.

– Qualifying was disappointing but I kept my composure in the race. I am pleased to be able to win from ninth on the grid, says Verstappen.

Alonso could not challenge Red Bull

Red Bull have won all five races during the opening of the season – Verstappen has three triumphs and Perez two.

– Max deserved the victory because he was the strongest driver on the track. I tried and gave it my all but the first stint was bad and the tires were worn a lot. The medium tires did not perform at all as expected and it affected the race, says Perez.

Behind the Red Bull duo was a new podium finish for Fernando Alonso. The Spaniard continues to impress in a fast Aston Martin, finishing third for the fourth time this season.

– The car is fantastic but I was quite alone in this race. There was nothing to do against the tight duo and behind us it was also calm. We thought it would be tougher with the cars behind but Ferrari was weaker than expected.

– At the beginning of the season, a podium finish was fantastic, now we want a little more. A second place would be nice, but Red Bull are very strong. Maybe we can have a chance in Monaco or Barcelona, ​​says Alonso.

No points for Bottas

Valtteri Bottas had hopes of points after tenth place in qualifying, but it was another tough competition for the Finn. He missed points for the fourth race in a row as he finished in thirteenth place.

– We lacked speed, in qualifying it was better over a lap, but the competition speed was not enough for a position among the top ten. This was still a small improvement compared to previous races, says Bottas to Viaplay.

The next race is at Imola in two weeks and then Bottas expects a more competitive car.

– Now we are waiting for updates to the car, he says.