On the new circuit of the Miami International Autodrome it was crucial to step on the asphalt again and again this Friday during free practice to adapt to the track and in turn configure the car in the best possible way.
Max Verstappen is well aware of this, having spent a good part of the day in the pits due to various technical problems, including a costly hydraulic failure in Free Practice 2 which caused him to watch the bulls from the sidelines.
And it is that after spending the first half hour in the garage, when the session resumed after the spin and accident of Carlos Sainz, Verstappen could not complete a lap with a fire in the back of his car and an almost impossible steering wheel to turn
“As soon as I came out of the pits, I couldn’t really turn. The brakes were on fire,” said the disillusioned Red Bull driver.
As a result, Verstappen only completed 15 laps between the two sessions. “It just wasn’t a good day,” lamented the Dutchman. “It’s extremely painful, especially on a circuit like this where you want to drive a lot, learn the track, get your bearings. In short, we didn’t do more than five timed laps today. That’s not what we want.”
“Of course I will try to make up for lost time, but it’s not easy. It’s not just that everyone has driven more than us, but we don’t have any information about my car to know what to do. All in all, it’s extremely painful.”
(See the photos of Verstappen this Friday in Miami before reading on)
Foto de: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Steven Tee / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Photo by: Carl Bingham/Motorsport Images
Foto de: Carl Bingham / Motorsport Images
For his part, the team manager, Christian Horner , was obviously stunned by this succession of problems. “He’s had a horrible day!” the Brit exclaimed of his star driver on Sky Sports F1 .
“He had a problem in the morning, so we replaced the gearbox and one of the car parts as a precaution, and then he had a hydraulic issue right out of the pits, which unfortunately damaged the rear brakes. He did few laps I think who did five timed laps today, which were competitive. Luckily with the red flags he didn’t lose as much compared to the rest, but it’s frustrating not to have that much time on track.”
Now they will need to carry out as many tests as possible during the third and final free practice session on Saturday afternoon (7:00 p.m. in Spain), before putting the car into parc fermé.
“We will probably do a few more laps than usual in FP3. It’s a street circuit, you have to get your bearings. We know how well Max adapts to the new tracks, he will surely make up for lost time,” concluded Horner.
