Max Verstappen can “trust” Red Bull car now after F1 Miami upgrades

Max Verstappen says the upgraded Red Bull Formula 1 car is allowing him “to trust” it more at the Miami Grand Prix, and believes “we have almost halved” the gap to the leaders.

The opening three rounds of the 2026 season have been difficult for Red Bull and four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Already unhappy with the new regulations, Verstappen slammed the current Red Bull car at the Japanese Grand Prix after finishing a distant eighth.

But Friday at Miami in an upgraded car has been more positive, with Verstappen taking fifth in sprint qualifying.

Asked to assess the car now, Verstappen notes that it is “weak” in high-speed turns still, but he can “trust it a bit more” now.

He also believes the one-second gap he had to the leaders has now been "almost halved".

“It feels more together,” he told Sky Sports.

“There are still, of course, things we are working on, but it’s been a really positive step for us.

“The last few races, we were like over a second behind.

“I would say we have almost halved that gap now, so that’s very positive.

“We are still very weak in the first sector, which is really high-speed.

“So we know we need to work on that, but the rest all seemed a bit more together.

“A bit happier with that. It seems that we have at least cleared a bit the midfield.”

“it feels a bit more normal, a bit more together.

“It’s still not where I want it to be, obviously, but it’s at least allowing me to trust it a bit more, and I can basically get a bit more lap time out of it.”

Red Bull got both cars into SQ3, with Isack Hadjar ninth in the second car.

The Milton Keynes-based team also turned heads on Friday when it debuted its version of Ferrari’s ‘Macarena’ rear wing.

A much more aggressive design compared to Ferrari’s, team boss Laurent Mekies said after FP1 that its concept is not a copy of the Scuderia’s.