Max Verstappen was on track for third place during the sprint race in Miami, until a botched pit stop threw a wrench in the works. Red Bull sent the Dutchman back out too soon after the tire change, causing Verstappen to collide with Andrea Kimi Antonelli. ‘Very sloppy,’ the world champion labels the moment.
The sprint race started later than planned due to heavy rainfall over the Miami International Autodrome. Verstappen started the shortened race in fourth place, but quickly moved into the top three after polesitter Andrea Kimi Antonelli went off track. The Dutchman held his third place firmly, until misfortune during the pit stop.
The Red Bull driver then collided with Antonelli, blocking the Italian’s path to his pit crew. Verstappen suffered damage to his front wing and received a ten-second time penalty for the incident.
Slipshod
“I think it was quite clear what happened there,” says a disappointed Verstappen after the sprint race to Viaplay. “I can’t make much more of it.” The Dutchman confirms that his own pit crew had sent him out too early after switching to the slicks. “The light goes out, and of course I can’t see if a car is coming. Very sloppy.”
The further course of the sprint race, the four-time world champion labels as ‘not very special’, as he was driving a bit in no man’s land. “I couldn’t keep up with the McLarens, and I was pulling away a bit from the Mercedes behind me. So it wasn’t very interesting to be honest.”
