Max Verstappen admitted after the race that Red Bull were “no match” for McLaren on the hard tyre at the Miami GP after struggling with the balance of the car.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
The reigning champion complained of oversteer in yesterday’s sprint, but come race day the RB20 wasn’t rotating as he would have liked, and while team boss Christian Horner said Verstappen picked up some floor damage after he hit the bollard after running wide at turn 15, the Dutchman admitted that he didn’t have the pace compared to Norris.
“I think on the medium it wasn’t too bad, but it also wasn’t particularly good,” said Verstappen after the race.
“The car didn’t really want to grip up. The oversteer was a little bit better on the medium, but the pace was just not really there, and we were pulling away [in the first stint] but it was just marginal.
“But, on the hard tyre, we really took a step back because on the harder compound you have a bit less mechanical grip, and that then tipped it over the edge to where we didn’t seem to have a lot of grip.”
Verstappen tried to pass Norris at turn one, but the brit covered the inside well, and once he pulled away on the first lap after the restart, it was clear the MCL38 was the superior machine on race day.
Verstappen said: “I tried of course in turn one, but after that you settle in and try to stay close, but I could clearly see we were no match on the hard tyre, so then I just tried to focus on my own race and bring it home.”
‘If a bad day is P2 I’m happy’
Despite the defeat on race day, Verstappen congratulated Norris on his maiden Grand Prix win, saying that it was “a long time coming.”
But he also alluded to the fact that, if finishing second is a disappointing result, then he should be happy.
The RB20 is still the best car on the grid in his hands, and he holds a comfortable 35-point gap over Sergio Perez in the standings.
[adrotate banner=”10″]
Get 10% off all official F1 Merch at TheRaceWorks.com using code ‘EF1‘ at checkout.
He also took home the sprint victory on Saturday and without a miraculous situation occurring is on course for his fourth world title.