In the Sprint Qualifying, Red Bull showed an unusual weakness on the straights, losing over three tenths of a second — already from low revs — likely due to more conservative engine mapping strategies for managing power unit rotations. The RB21 remained very consistent through high-speed corners but was held back by its deficit on long straights.
One standout data point from the Miami Sprint Qualifying is the Red Bull’s speed deficit on straights. On the two long straights that define the American circuit — especially those leading into turn 11 and turn 17 — Max Verstappen lost over three tenths to his rivals, particularly to Mercedes, who were the benchmark for the weekend.
This is surprising because, in previous races, the RB21 was consistently one of the strongest cars on the straights, making that one of its key strengths in qualifying. This isn’t new and has been discussed in previous analyses, including comparisons with Yuki Tsunoda.
In his first races with Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda opted for higher downforce setups for better consistency in handling, while Max Verstappen managed a looser rear end by running with less wing, making him extremely fast in high-speed sections, especially with DRS open.
That setup choice was a cornerstone of Red Bull’s qualifying success, particularly at early-season circuits like Jeddah, where power and energy management are critical. It was there that Honda opted to install a new Power Unit — a strategy copied in Miami by Mercedes customer teams aware of the track’s demands, leading several teams to also run with lower downforce wings.
Like all teams, Red Bull must adhere to scheduled power unit rotations, and current data reveals notable differences compared to earlier events. The RB21 appeared more conservative — not necessarily in top speed itself, but in its acceleration curve.
On the straight to turn 11, before DRS activation, Max Verstappen’s RB21 showed a gap of about 7 km/h compared to Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, and about 4 km/h compared to Oscar Piastri’s McLaren. After DRS opened, Red Bull reduced the deficit, suggesting a different design philosophy, closing the gap to around 3 km/h.
Mercedes’ top speeds were no surprise: the W16 has often been strong in this area, rivaling Red Bull. McLaren, on the other hand, retained the same rear wing used in Jeddah, with a lower-drag mainplane, acknowledging their shortfall on straights.
The same pattern repeated on the straight to turn 17 — an initial gap that narrowed once DRS was active, but the accumulation of the deficit before that highlights the importance of engine power and aerodynamic efficiency.
As observed in 2024 and early this season, Honda tends to use more conservative engine maps on Fridays, limiting power for reliability reasons. It’s therefore unsurprising that Red Bull often shows a marked performance leap between Friday and Saturday, ending up among the fastest in qualifying.
The RB21 continues to dominate the first sector, made up of high-speed corners where its strong downforce and stiff setup shine. However, the straight-line deficit does not appear related to these factors. The power shortfall is already evident at low revs, especially when exiting slow corners, as shown in non-DRS sections.
Although Max Verstappen did two runs in Q3 — which might have led Red Bull to be more conservative with hybrid deployment to preserve energy — even in Q1 and Q2, his straight-line speeds were not exceptional. This suggests the issue isn’t limited to Q3 strategy.
This indicates that Red Bull, likely due to PU mileage management as they reverted to an older unit, didn’t push the engine to the limit during the Sprint Qualifying’s flying lap. From the rear view of the car, one can see a wide rear opening and left-side gills to help the Honda PU breathe.
It seems the team chose to preserve the engine for the sprint — which offers fewer points — and focus instead on Saturday’s qualifying and the main race, when parc fermé will reopen. Given that the gap to Antonelli was about two and a half tenths, with a fully unleashed power unit, Max Verstappen might have challenged not just Lando Norris in P3 but even the front row.
It will be interesting to see how the situation evolves — not only in qualifying but also in the Sprint — as the RB21’s single-lap advantage tends to shrink when hybrid deployment strategies are less aggressive.
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