Marko heard Verstappen 'ranting': 'We had problems with that'

Sprint qualifying in Miami went well for Max Verstappen and Red Bull Racing, but the session did not go entirely as expected. Helmut Marko explains why both Verstappen and Sergio Perez had a harder time than expected in qualifying for the sprint race.

Marko heard Verstappen 'ranting' on the radio

Verstappen also said it: during the first and only practice session at the Miami International Autodrome, everything still looked rosy for Red Bull, but in sprint qualifying, the pace was a bit disappointing compared to expectations. "We heard Max really ranting on the radio. We had problems getting the soft tyres into the right working window," Marko explained to ORF.

In the end, to his own surprise, Verstappen still managed to secure pole position for the sprint race. "He did best of all, and the gap is significant for this circuit. Perez in third place, we are satisfied," the 80-year-old Austrian continued.

He stressed that a good start will be key to a successful sprint race, as Charles Leclerc qualified his Ferrari between the Red Bulls. "And then drive as hard as necessary," Marko adds. "Overall, we have a good starting position. If the start goes well, Max is usually the one who can control it from the front," said the Red Bull advisor.