Verstappen: We went from last to first within the day

Verstappen was classified last in the Sprint Race on Saturday after a ten-second penalty he received when Red Bull Racing released him unsafely into the path of Kimi Antonelli in the pitlane which also meant the #1 RB21 suffered from front wing damage.

But the reigning Formula 1 champion kept his head down and delivered a solid qualifying performance to take pole for Sunday's Grand Prix, despite a slight snap on his final lap, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda was tenth, over seven tenths of the pace.

"To achieve pole today was unexpected," Verstappen reflected. "We put the lap together and didn't make too many mistakes, so that was really positive.

"The day didn't start that well, and the Sprint was not good for us. There wasn't much we could do after the penalty, so you just have to refocus and do your best in Qualifying and we went from last to first within the day.

"We had adjusted the car a little bit beforehand, and in each Qualifying session we just chipped away at it a bit more," the Dutchman revealed. "I think we can still improve on the slow speed, and I do think that we are not the quickest over a lap, but we managed to put it together, which is the most important thing in Qualifying.

"When you arrive to the track, you go to race mode, and of course, I'm very happy about achieving pole. At the end of the day, it is all a team effort; you have to look at every single detail, and we are really trying our best with the car.

"Looking to tomorrow, in the dry we wouldn't have that same pace, but in the wet a lot of things can happen, but we need to be on it. We have some decent pace, but we need to maximize everything that we can.

"We will see what we can do," Verstappen, who welcomed a baby girl with girlfriend Kelly Piquet earlier this week, concluded.

While he started the Sprint from the bottom of the grid, Tsunoda managed to finish it in sixth after several penalties were applied to Verstappen, Liam Lawson, and Alex Albon.

But then in qualifying, the Japanese driver was way off the pace of his teammate despite making Q3; he commented: "I was expecting more from Qualifying, but the Sprint was a good recovery, so it's mixed feelings for me today.

"The positive thing is I scored points in the Sprint, and if I can go from the pitlane to P6 in the Sprint, then anything is possible.

"I gave it my all out there in qualifying; in previous qualis I have made some mistakes, and I felt like this one was pretty clean, so I am a little disappointed it was only good enough for P10.

"The lap was alright, but we definitely have a bit more to find. I don't want to be in a bad mood and to keep overthinking it. It's hard, but we can't think that straight away we will be top five.

"Gradually I am improving race by race, so I did want a bit more today, but we have to be patient," Tsunoda added. "The pace in the long run in FP1 wasn't great, but we have adapted the set-up, and the car is different now, so I can maximize better in the race when it counts, and I feel confident in it.

"The rain mixed things up in the Sprint, and we don't know what is going to happen with the weather on Sunday yet. I made up 14 places today, so tomorrow I only have nine cars to go!

"I want to score good points; I will stick to my positivity and do my best," Tsunoda concluded.

Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner hailed another great performance from Verstappen; he said: "That was another stunning performance from Max. Nearly the perfect lap.

"He had a little wobble at turn one but was able to keep the moment going, and then he just nailed the last corner as well. It was really impressive, Max's third pole of the year and our third successive pole here and a track record.

"Yuki equally did well to get to Q3 again, again," the Briton said of his other driver, "the third time he has done so, and he recovered impressively in the Sprint today to rise from the back of the grid to P6. He is settling in well and getting a good feel for the car; let's hope he can carry it into the race."

As for the race on Sunday, which is expected to take place in mixed conditions, keeping in mind that a Safety Car can change things, something Red Bull experienced back in 2024.

Horner said: "Tomorrow it is all to play for. Miami is a long race, and it's also a tricky race. There is a chance of rain too, and as such, the risk of a safety car.

"A safety car can change the dynamic of the whole race, as we have seen previously. As I say, all to play for," he concluded.