Max Verstappen, after struggling compare to his teammate Sergio Perez in Baku last weekend, is expecting another tough Formula 1 weekend in Miami this time around.
Max Verstappen had to play second fiddle to Sergio Perez in Baku, and saw his lead in the Drivers’ Championship slashed down to only six points.
He now heads to Miami in just a week’s time, a race he won back in 2022, but the double F1 Champion is anticipating a tough weekend stateside considering the weather and physical nature of the track.
Speaking in Red Bull‘s race preview, Verstappen said: “I’m looking forward to Miami, it was a very physical track and also really hot there last year, so we need to be prepared for that.
“It’s definitely not going to be easy. It’s quite a complex circuit and I think they resurfaced the track again this year so let’s see how that impacts our performance.
“Our fans also designed the livery this weekend, so I’m excited to see what that looks like,” the Dutchman concluded.
Perez oozing with confidence
Perez, on the other hand, arrives in Miami on a high having won the Sprint Race and the Grand Prix last time out in Azerbaijan.
“I am looking forward to Miami, hopefully we can continue on our good form from Baku and be really competitive,” the Mexican said. “I felt super confident in the car last weekend and we executed two perfect races, everything came together.
“I always said at the start of this season we needed consistent weekends and Baku was just that. It was the perfect example of how we need to perform and my Team were terrific,” he maintained.
As for the upcoming Grand Prix, Perez said: “Physically Miami is the most demanding race of the season so I have been working hard to be ready for it.
“That adds a different dynamic to this race and as drivers we have to manage that side of things well to make sure we perform on track,” the winner of six grands prix concluded.