Max Verstappen finds renewed confidence in his Red Bull after qualifying fifth in Miami, crediting recent car upgrades for narrowing the performance gap to his rivals.
MIAMI
Max Verstappen believes Red Bull is finally turning a corner after a difficult start to the 2026 season. Following a month-long break in the racing calendar, the four-time world champion expressed a renewed sense of trust in his car after qualifying fifth for Saturday’s sprint race at the Miami Grand Prix.
The Dutch driver has been vocal about his frustrations with Formula One’s new regulations, having failed to finish higher than sixth in the opening rounds of the year. However, a fresh set of upgrades brought to the Hard Rock Stadium seems to have provided the stability he was looking for. Verstappen noted that the car feels “more together” and predictable on the track.
The numbers suggest a genuine comeback is in the works. While Red Bull trailed the leaders by over a second in previous races, Verstappen was able to cut that deficit significantly. His best lap was roughly half a second behind pole-sitter Lando Norris, a gap he says has been “halved” thanks to the team’s latest engineering efforts.
While a fifth-place start still leaves work to be done, the mood in the Red Bull garage has shifted from frustration to cautious optimism. Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, also made it into the top ten, further proving the car’s improved pace. For a driver who has recently questioned his future in the sport, this positive step in Miami might be exactly what Verstappen needs to get back into the podium fight.