Verstappen: We want to be faster on every corner

Verstappen is looking to strike back in Miami after Sergio Perez beat him both in the Sprint Race and the Grand Prix, and was looking good for that as he was comfortably the fastest car around Miami International Autodrome, as while he was fourth fastest in FP1, that did not show the true picture since George Russell, who topped that session, did his flying lap well after Verstappen did in better grip conditions.

However, in FP2, the Red Bull ace showed he was serious about taking his second consecutive win in Miami, fastest of all, almost four tenths clear of second-placed Carlos Sainz.

Reflecting on Friday in Red Bull's press release, Verstappen said: "Today was a good day. Initially we were getting used to the track with the new tarmac, it was ramping up a lot throughout the day.

"It's still quite slippery off line but on the driving line it's okay. Most importantly today we had good balance in the car so I feel happy. There are still a few things we want to look at overnight, ideally we want to be faster on every corner, which isn't always possible.

"We'll have to see what the weather will do tomorrow, but overall it's been a positive day," the Dutchman concluded.

Sergio Perez arrived in Miami full of confidence after his strong showing in Baku, but that was nowhere to be seen on track during Friday's two practice sessions which the Mexican finished 11th and fourth respectively, the gap to his teammate at best being almost half a second.

"The conditions out there aren't great, especially the grip in FP1, it felt like inter to wet tyre conditions," Perez said. "Getting a read in these low grip conditions is tricky but there are only very small margins to ensure we make improvements.

"We have been trying some stuff with the mechanical balance and I think we learnt quite a bit. I haven't had the greatest of Fridays. On one of my flying laps I locked up on the final corner and then on the long run I don't think we managed to get too much of a read on the laps we got in," he explained.

"So, I still have quite a bit to come, together with my driving because I was not driving very well today. If I am able to improve my driving and get myself a bit more comfortable, I should be alright," he concluded.

Perez was full of talk about how he is a real Title contender, following his strong showing in Baku, and was even more confident given Miami is technically another street circuit, where he usually excels, but he would need to pull himself together if he plans to remain true to his word.