Frustrated Max Verstappen Struggles at Miami as Poor History With Street Circuits Surface in Free Practice

The Miami Grand Prix’s first and only free practice session has ended, and the driver to have the fastest lap is none other than Max Verstappen. While the reigning world champion finished the fastest, other drivers on the grid finished very off from the way the pecking order looks. We have Charles Leclerc, the new Ferrari livery, who had a spin-out that was extremely hard to recover. On the other hand, Carlos Sainz recorded the third-fastest lap. However, the RB20’s magic seems to be fading with Sergio Perez coming in P6 in the dominant car.

What exactly is up with the RB20? is a question that’s running through everyone’s mind. Checo, who is usually the second-fastest driver on the grid, is falling off his 1-2 finishes alongside his teammate. While Max Verstappen clocked the fastest lap, he did mention some problems he faced during the session on the radio. His message might be the insight that we needed to know why the Red Bulls are not as fast as they have been in recent times.

What was Max Verstappen complaining about at the Miami Free Practice?

Miami comes with Florida, which is the sunshine state of America, which means it does get hot around the circuits during the day. Having a day of practice in the sun tests the cars on the track as they chew through the Pirelli rubber much faster. This was a complaint that Max Verstappen addressed during the free practice in Miami. On the team radio, the Dutchman was not happy with the heat on the track, which was leading to the tires getting too hot, leading to no traction.

“Ah the tires are way too hot!” stated Verstappen during his run around the Miami International Autodrome. Further explaining his problem, he said, “I have no grip, it’s like driving on eggshells.” Despite his complaints about the car, the current world champion showed that he is still the fastest driver on the track, clocking a time of 1:28:595, which was a tenth of a second ahead of Oscar Piastri. The Miami Sun is testing out the limits of the cars, especially considering that drivers barely have experience on the new track added to the calendar.

However, this was just practice, and there is a possibility that teams are sandbagging their cars while waiting for the Sprint qualifiers. We will get to see the real results of how each driver fares starting now. Unlike the races that give drivers three practice rounds before going to the qualifiers and the race, Miami will follow the sprint weekend format, where after the only practice session for the team, they have to jump into the Sprint Shootout, followed by the sprint race. After the sprint race, fans will get to see who takes pole position for the main event on Sunday. This year, many teams are celebrating the Miami Grand Prix with new liveries, and Red Bull’s second team has decided to go full-graffiti style for this event.

VCARB’s Rainbow Graffiti Livery

The Racing Bulls have had a good time on the tracks during free practice while flaunting their new livery for Miami. It’s safe to say that the car now stands out more than other cars on the grid, and many have come to love the look. They say that liveries don’t affect the speed of the car, but the colorful pattern is motivating the two drivers to give it all they have. During the practice session, Yuki Tsunoda finished the 8th fastest on the grid, and Daniel Ricciardo came in 11th.

VCARB has adapted the Miami Vice style perfectly with their neon colors of mainly pink and orange, paying homage to one of the most celebratory Grand Prix on the calendar. Being called the Chameleon Card Livery, team principal Peter Bayer came forth to release a statement about their Miami Special car. Bayer stated, “Visa Cash App RB’s Chameleon Card livery is the perfect color scheme for our first race in the US. Since the team’s Las Vegas launch in February, we’ve taken some big steps forward, and we’re bringing fans on an exciting new journey. That desire to progress and connect is shared with Visa and Cash App who are bringing people together in the sport through experiences that are unlike anything else out there.”

That being said, do you think the hot track problem will be resolved, leading to another Max Verstappen victory? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.