Max Verstappen no longer a "total passenger" in upgraded Red Bull F1 car at Miami Grand Prix

Max Verstappen has praised the improvements made by Red Bull, saying he no longer feels like a “total passenger” in his upgraded Formula 1 car.

After an incredibly difficult start to the 2026 season, Red Bull bounced back in Miami as Verstappen secured second on the grid in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, ending up just 0.166 seconds slower than Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

It marked a remarkable turnaround in form for Red Bull, with the team bringing extensive upgrades to its RB22 to the fourth round of the campaign following an enforced five-week break.

Four-time world champion Verstappen has been much happier in his Red Bull and said that “nothing really worked” prior to the changes introduced in Miami.

Asked to expand on the improvements made by Red Bull, Verstappen replied: “Honestly, it's everything, because before, nothing really worked. I felt like a total passenger in the car.

“It could understeer, it could snap on me. It could feel different from one session to the other one, without even touching parts. So we understood a lot of stuff, I think.

“We're still not where we want to be in terms of understanding everything, but most of it. That has showed that here the car just feels a lot more together. I can finally drive how I want to drive, also with just my steering inputs, and that helps a lot.

“I think also with the energy management, I think everyone is learning every single weekend and so are we. Of course, we are a completely new manufacturer, so I think our learning curve is probably a little bit more steep. But they're doing a really good job and it's just getting better and better every time.”

It marked Verstappen’s best qualifying result of the year, but the Dutchman remains wary about the poor starts he has suffered so far this year.

“Let’s first start with a good start. I’ve not had a lot of them this year,” Verstappen noted. “We’ll try to have a look at that, see what the weather will do tomorrow.

“But I’m already very happy with where we are. From here, there’s like light at the end of the tunnel and we can push on and try to close the gap further. Race pace looked alright in the Sprint once I was in clean air. Tomorrow is a completely different day."