Max Verstappen qualified third in Miami, nearly two-tenths of a second behind pole-holder Charles Leclerc. The current world champion is pleased with the starting position and intends to compete in the race.
Sergio Perez qualified fourth, and unlike his partner, he is disappointed with his performance in qualifying.
Max Ferstappen (3rd): “Overall, I am very satisfied with the qualification. On Friday I only drove four or five fast laps, so on Saturday I tried to learn the track and find the right balance of the car.
For me, the high competitiveness in qualifying was a surprise, because this track is not so easy to learn. Of course, I wanted to be on pole, but given the way things unfolded over the weekend, we can be satisfied with the work done.
We have good chances in the race. The car has a high top speed, it handles well, so I’m waiting for the start. The track is quite slippery outside the trajectory, but we’ll see – a lot can happen in the race. As far as I know, it will be hotter than on Saturday, so a lot will depend on the tires.”
Sergio Perez (4th): “For me, the qualification turned out to be difficult. I had a bad first try in the final, which put me at a disadvantage before the final fast lap. The hardest part was in the second sector – today it was not possible to find an approach to it and pass it correctly. At least in my case. I think if I had not lost time in the second sector, I would have qualified in the first row.
I am disappointed with the results of the qualification, but tomorrow will be a new day in which everything is possible. We will see”.
Christian Horner, Team Principal: “We were unlucky, but Ferrari did a brilliant job. When margins are minimal, every little thing counts. After the first attempt, the situation looked positive, but in the second attempt, Max made a small mistake in the fourth turn, which cost him dearly.
However, Max bounced back following Friday’s troubles. He lagged behind the rest in terms of the number of laps completed, so today he taught the track. Max bounced back, we have high speed on the straights, the car is fast on a long series of circles, and there are sections on the track where you can overtake.
Our settings are different from the Ferrari settings. They have more downforce, so they’re faster in the corners, but we’re much faster on the straights. We are in for an exciting race.”