Verstappen sees 'light at the end of the tunnel'

Max Verstappen is convinced there is “light at the end of the tunnel” for Red Bull after securing a front row start at the Miami Grand Prix with a strong qualifying performance.

After struggling for performance and reliability at the opening three races of 2026, Verstappen lies ninth in the drivers’ standings ahead of Sunday’s race, 59 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli.

Wider frustrations with Formula 1’s new regulations left the four-time champion questioning his future in the series beyond following the last round in Japan, but he appeared more upbeat after securing second on the grid behind Antonelli in Miami.

“From here, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, and we can just push on and try to close the gap further,” Verstappen said after qualifying.

The improvement comes after a five-week break in racing due to the cancellation of races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, allowing Red Bull to arrive in Miami with a raft of changes to its car.

The progress was evident in Miami’s sprint race, in which Verstappen finished fifth, and the four-time champion said he found another step in performance in Saturday’s qualifying.

“So many things were not working up until this weekend, so for us bringing the car back together, also for me in the car itself, a few things have changed and it made it a lot more comfortable to drive,” Verstappen said of the changes. “I feel a lot more confidence and I don’t feel like I’m a passenger anymore in the car.

“That was already quite evident yesterday [in sprint qualifying] and then I think today the sprint was not too bad.

“I could finally follow the cars ahead of me instead of them just pulling away and not see them again. And then some tiny changes for qualifying and seemed like that helped again a little bit.

“I mean, to be on the front row coming from over a second behind in the previous race is really incredible.”

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Asked to pinpoint which changes to the car had made the biggest difference, Verstappen said: “Honestly, it’s everything, because before nothing really worked. I felt like a total passenger in the car.

“It could understeer, it could snap on me, it could feel different from one session to the other one without even touching parts. So we understood a lot of stuff, I think.

“We’re still not where we want to be in terms of understanding everything, but most of it. And yeah, that has showed that here the car just feels a lot more together. Yeah, I can finally drive how I want to drive, also with just my steering inputs, and that helps a lot.

“And then I think also with the energy management, I think everyone is learning every single weekend, so are we. Of course, we are completely new manufacturers, so I think our learning curve is probably a little bit more steep. But yeah, they’re doing a really good job, and it’s just getting, let’s say, better and better every time.”