Max Verstappen, the Red Bull Racing driver, faced obstacles in the Miami Formula 1 Grand Prix due to damage suffered during the race. Despite starting on pole position and leading the early stages of the race, Verstappen fell behind Lando Norris after the McLaren driver took advantage of a Safety Car period. Verstappen struggled to keep up with Norris and ended up 7.6 seconds behind, citing ongoing balance issues that plagued him throughout the weekend. Red Bull team principal Christian Horner revealed that a significant part of Verstappen’s car floor was missing, likely caused by hitting a cone at the chicane on lap 22. This damage affected the car’s performance and hindered Verstappen’s chances of victory.
Horner acknowledged that the team faced balance issues throughout the weekend and that hitting the cone caused substantial damage to the underside of the car. The missing section of the rear left floor was visibly flexing, further compromising the car’s performance. Verstappen, however, initially downplayed the impact of the damage, attributing his struggles to difficulties with the hard tire. He mentioned that hitting the cone did not noticeably affect his pace. Verstappen even joked about the incident, stating that he decided to test the durability of the front wing by removing the cone. He confirmed that there was no damage and that it did not hinder other drivers on the track.
However, Horner clarified that Verstappen’s comments were made before inspecting the car and that the damage did indeed affect his performance. Verstappen was consistently losing time in turn 1 compared to Norris, indicating that the damage played a role. Horner emphasized that the missing section of the floor was not part of the intended design of the car. Verstappen later agreed with Horner’s assessment, acknowledging the damage to the floor and the hole that could have resulted from hitting the cone.
In conclusion, Verstappen’s chances of winning the Miami Grand Prix were compromised by the floor damage suffered from hitting a cone on the track. Despite initially leading, he struggled to keep up with Norris and fell behind due to ongoing balance issues. The missing section of the floor affected the car’s performance, as confirmed by Horner and Verstappen.
