Max Verstappen said that Red Bull is gradually closing its gap with its main rivals in Formula 1 during the Miami Grand Prix weekend, BTA reports. The four-time world champion, who has two victories in Miami, finished fifth in qualifying for the sprint race.
The Dutchman has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with the new rules in Formula 1, and the weak start to the season has even raised doubts about his future in the sport. So far, Verstappen has not finished higher than sixth in three main races and one sprint. “The car now feels more natural and more stable. There is still work to be done, but this is definitely a positive step forward for us“, commented Verstappen.
He stressed that in recent starts Red Bull has been more than a second behind the leaders, but according to him, the gap has now been significantly reduced.
“Before we were more than a second behind the others, and now it seems like we have almost halved that gap. This definitely gives us confidence“, added the pilot, quoted by Reuters.
Verstappen's best lap in Friday's session was 0.592 seconds slower than that of Lando Norris with McLaren, who won the drivers' world title last season.