Max Verstappen has admitted that teammate Sergio Perez caught the rear of his car a bit at the start of the Miami GP, causing minimal technical damage. However, the “Red Bull” pilot did not hide that Lando Norris was faster in this race.
Verstappen was on his way to victory, but Norris successfully timed the moment the safety car came onto the track. The “McLaren” pilot was the last of the leaders to not change tires, so he retained first place after his pit stop.
Before that, at the start, Verstappen confidently held the first place, but the other pilot of the team, Perez, locked his wheels in the first corner, almost causing a collision with his partner. The two cars collided slightly, causing minor damage to Verstappen’s RB20.
“It was close and it could have ended badly,” said Verstappen. “I think my diffuser was damaged. He braked 50 meters later than everyone else, but luckily nothing happened.”
Also, the Dutchman, who is leading the championship, had problems with balancing at the Miami GP, but after leaving the track on the 28th lap, he also suffered damage to the floor of the car. Norris was able to move away from Verstappen after the pit stop, giving no hope to his rival to win another victory.
“If it wasn’t for the safety car, it would have been a fight to the finish, we were seven or eight seconds ahead of him,” admits Verstappen. “But they were faster. It wasn’t our day, but it can happen.”
Meanwhile, Norris admitted after the finish that he was relieved to finally get his first career win. He has been close to it before, especially in the 2021 Russian GP.
“It was a completely different situation in Russia back then, a lot of people talk nonsense about the stage in Sochi and what happened back then,” says Norris. “Yes, I lost the victory. I and we. I’ve never blamed the team for it, but I didn’t do my best at the time and neither did the team. It happened. This year I feel more confident than ever. I don’t think about anything. Even last year, I could not fully concentrate my mind on work. I am quick and do things the way I set out to do them. I have overcome many of my shortcomings and this work is paying off. So this time there was no thought that something could go wrong.”
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