Max fourth in Miami Grand Prix: 'Just not good enough'

Published on 05 May 2025 by Misha van der Kroon

Max Verstappen finished fourth in the Miami Grand Prix. After intense battles with the McLarens and an unfortunately timed virtual safety car, there was no more in it for Max than a fourth-place finish. Oscar Piastri took the win, ahead of his McLaren teammate Lando Norris and Mercedes driver George Russell.

“It just wasn’t good enough. Zero chance. I did try a bit with the McLarens of course. I didn’t have much to lose, so I thought I might as well have a bit of fun. There wasn’t much more I could do with it. The Virtual Safety Car coming out, well, that can happen. Doesn’t really matter whether you finish third or fourth here. That’s not why I’m here.”

Max continues on the battles with Piastri: “After Saudi Arabia, I think he could’ve seen it coming.” Still, the four-time World Champion appreciates Piastri’s driving style: “It’s good to see,” says Max. Speaking about the brakes and balance of the car, he adds: “It’s something that’s been an issue more often, so we need to work on that.” At the end of the race, Verstappen briefly closed the gap to George Russell. On that, he says: “I couldn’t follow closely. As soon as I tried to push a bit more, the tyres got too hot and I couldn’t attack. So at one point I thought, forget it. I kept it within five seconds, but I also thought, I’ll just bring it home. I couldn’t be bothered getting into DRS, because it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway.”

On a dry track, the drivers prepare for the start of the Miami Grand Prix that starts at 4 PM local time. The entire top ten lines up on the medium tyre, except for George Russell (Mercedes), who starts from P5 on the hard compound. When the lights go out, Max gets off the line well, but locks up slightly into the first corner. This allows Lando Norris (McLaren) to pull alongside the World Champion, but after a minor touch, the Brit loses several positions and drops back to sixth. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) moves up into second place as a result. For Jack Doohan (Alpine), the opening phase is less fortunate. He makes contact with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson in Turn 1, suffers a puncture, and is forced to retire shortly after. Doohan’s retirement triggers a Virtual Safety Car.

When the VSC ends, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri reacts sharply. Within a lap, he overtakes Antonelli for second place and begins to put pressure on the reigning four-time World Champion. By lap nine, Piastri is right on Max’s tail, and a thrilling battle unfolds. The newly become father defends fiercely to hold on to the lead, but in lap fourteen, the Australian championship leader makes the move and takes over at the front. Meanwhile, Norris joins the fight at the front. After overtaking Alex Albon (Williams), George Russell, and Antonelli (Mercedes), the Brit moves up to third and attempts to pass Max in lap fifteen. Once again, the World Champion defends well, but on lap seventeen, Norris launches a serious move. He gets ahead of the Dutchman but runs off track and opts to give the position back to Verstappen. One lap later, Norris completes the pass cleanly, putting the 64-time Grand Prix winner into third place.

In the laps that follow, the McLarens pull away at nearly a second per lap, leaving Max staring at a nine-second gap to second place by lap 26. From behind, pressure builds from the Mercedes drivers. Antonelli opts to pit but has a slow stop of 4.4 seconds. Max responds a lap later, rejoining the track ahead of the Italian. Still, the World Champion soon loses position. Oliver Bearman (Haas) retires with technical issues, triggering another Virtual Safety Car. Under the VSC, Piastri, Norris, Russell, and Leclerc all dive into the pits, taking advantage of the reduced pace to lose less time. Russell benefits the most and rejoins in third, just ahead of Max. Not long after, a third Virtual Safety Car follows as Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber) also retires with technical problems on lap 33, becoming the third DNF of the day.

The VSC phase is brief, and Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) are quickest on the restart. Both pass Carlos Sainz (Williams) into Turn 1, dropping the Spaniard from seventh to ninth. But not everything runs smoothly at Ferrari. Hamilton complains about being stuck behind Leclerc, and after a heated exchange, he is eventually let through. Near the end of the race, the two are told to swap back, but sixth place remains out of reach. In P10, Max’s Oracle Red Bull Racing teammate Yuki Tsunoda picks up a five-second time penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

In the closing stages of the race, Verstappen begins to close the gap to Russell. On lap 43, he dips under the two-second mark for the first time and gets as close as 1.3 seconds, but the four-time World Champion can’t get closer. He crosses the line to finish the Miami Grand Prix in fourth. Piastri takes the victory, extending his lead in the championship. Norris and Russell complete  the podium. In the final corner, Carlos Sainz makes a last-ditch attempt to overtake Hamilton for eighth. The two make contact, but Hamilton still finishes ahead in eighth place.

Results Grand Prix Miami: