FIA Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship leader Max Verstappen has admitted that the upcoming Miami Grand Prix will not be easy for Oracle Red Bull Racing despite their healthy lead at the top of both Championships going into just the fifth weekend of the season.
Verstappen had to settle for second place last time out in Azerbaijan with his teammate taking an impressive victory to move himself closer to Verstappen in the Championship. However, the Dutchman remains the favourite for the Championship and the race win this weekend.
Verstappen took victory at the first Miami Grand Prix in 2022 even after Charles Leclerc took pole position, and the two-time world champion will be hoping for more of the same this weekend in the heat of Miami.
“I’m looking forward to Miami, it was a very physical track and also really hot there last year, so we need to be prepared for that. It’s definitely not going to be easy. It’s quite a complex circuit and I think they resurfaced the track again this year so let’s see how that impacts our performance.”
Sergio Perez – ” Hopefully we can continue on our good form”
Although Verstappen holds a six-point advantage over Sergio Perez in the current standings, the latter is currently enjoying a hot streak. Having won the Sprint race and Sunday’s Grand Prix at Baku, the Mexican driver appears to be thriving under the pressure of a championship battle.
Perez is hoping that he can continue his good form into the Miami Grand Prix weekend, and keep the pressure on Verstappen at the top of the Championship. Perez finished fourth at the first Miami Grand Prix last year, but with much more confidence this time around, he’ll be hoping to become the second winner at the circuit.
“I am looking forward to Miami, hopefully we can continue on our good form from Baku and be really competitive. I felt super confident in the car last weekend and we executed two perfect races, everything came together.
“I always said at the start of this season we needed consistent weekends and Baku was just that. It was the perfect example of how we need to perform and my Team were terrific.
“Physically Miami is the most demanding race of the season so I have been working hard to be ready for it. That adds a different dynamic to this race and as drivers we have to manage that side of things well to make sure we perform on track.”
