The Miami weekend did not go well for Max Verstappen. The Dutch driver took pole position in Saturday’s qualifying, but it didn’t translate into a win: car number 1 crossed the finish line only in fourth place, around 40 seconds behind the winner, Oscar Piastri. But what made the Florida weekend one to forget was the mistake Red Bull made during the pit stop in Saturday’s Sprint race. That mishap adds to other recent errors by the Milton Keynes team. After recent criticism, Max Verstappen stepped up to defend his team.
The mistake during the Sprint pit stop came from an unsafe release, which caused Verstappen’s RB21 to collide with Antonelli’s Mercedes. The contact damaged Red Bull’s front wing and earned the driver a 10-second penalty. As a result, Verstappen finished 17th, last among the drivers who completed the race.
“I went into the garage after the race and of course they already knew, but you also have to understand that I’m not happy either,” said the reigning world champion. When asked if these errors could further compromise his title defense, he replied: “It’s true, but they know that too.
“It really shouldn’t happen, but it does. We have to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
A problem of organization?
The Miami error wasn’t the first issue Red Bull faced in 2025: Max Verstappen already experienced slow pit stops in Bahrain, although in that case the problem was a fault with the equipment. However, these incidents have raised doubts about Red Bull’s usually flawless pit crew, especially in light of the well-known internal reorganization in recent months. The team has had to deal with the loss of Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley and engineer Adrian Newey. Nonetheless, Max Verstappen strongly emphasized that internal changes must not be used as an excuse.
“Yes, of course, we’ve lost some important people,” he admitted. “Some now have different roles, but I think it’s too easy to immediately blame that. It shouldn’t happen, that’s very clear.”
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