'Issues we have to solve' – Verstappen concerned by reliability of his Red Bull car

Max Verstappen says Red Bull still have issues to solve if they are to beat Ferrari and Charles Leclerc to Formula One titles this year.

Verstappen is the favourite to defend his F1 championship after winning the Emilia Romagna and Miami GPs, outpacing Leclerc in both races.

However, the Dutchman is concerned about reliability issues after his car suffered a hydraulic leak in Miami on Friday which followed DNFs in Bahrain and Australia. Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez also had engine issues during the race in Miami.

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Verstappen says he and the Red Bull team are working hard to rectify their problems, but admits there are concerns.

“We’re still having a few issues we have to solve,” he said.

“We are quick, but my Friday was terrible… which is not great if you want to have a good weekend.

“And also Checo had a few issues in the race, so we have to be on top of that. But clearly there is a lot of potential, we just need to make sure it’s reliable.

“We have to make sure these things don’t happen… of course, we are working on them flat out.”

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said even with Perez’s issues, the team are heading in the right direction.

“Of course reliability is going to be an issue,” he said.

“We had a sensor issue on Checo’s [Perez] engine and the guys did well to move them around but he lost about 30 horsepower with that. He was losing half a second a lap.

“We saw in Imola how quickly things can change around and we have some interesting races coming up and the car is running well.

“We have some developments coming later in the summer which will help, we need to drop some weight but generally, I think we are on a good trajectory.”

The Spanish Grand Prix gets underway on May 22.

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Victorious Verstappen says 'I'll stick to racing ' after Muhammad Ali comparison

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said he would stick to Formula One after he was told he would suit boxing due to the strength he showed in winning the Miami Grand Prix.

The current champion battled through an intense, physical and humid race in Florida which saw him push through from third on the grid to ultimately take the lead and control the rest of the race despite a late resurgence from Charles Leclerc.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, it was suggested with such physical resilience he would perhaps be a successful boxer like another champion, Muhammad Ali.

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“It was an incredible Grand Prix, very physical as well, but I think we kept it exciting until the end,” Verstappen said.

“I think I’ll stick to racing but I appreciate boxing. I’m incredibly happy winning in Miami. It was an incredible Sunday for us.”

Ferrari’s Leclerc agreed that it was a tough race to have gone through, and suggested that problems with the tyres – which Red Bull noted had started to fray before the first 10 laps were out – held him back.

“It was a very difficult race physically, we struggled with the medium tyres quite a bit in the first stint and got overtaken then,” he acknowledged.

“It made our race a bit more difficult from that moment onwards.”

There was a brief moment of hope for the Monegasque youngster but despite being unable to capitalise, he was optimistic for the rest of the campaign.

“On the hards we were very competitive and in the end I thought I could get Max at one point, but today they had the advantage in terms of pace,” he explained.

“But it was fun. It was amazing to see so many people and so many Ferrari fans in the grandstand.

“We need to keep pushing. Each race will be very important throughout the year. And I hope now we can do a step up, from next race onwards.”

Leclerc leads the championship by 19 points from second-placed Verstappen.

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Victorious Verstappen says 'I'll stick to racing ' after Muhammad Ali comparison

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen said he would stick to Formula One after he was told he would suit boxing due to the strength he showed in winning the Miami Grand Prix.

The current champion battled through an intense, physical and humid race in Florida which saw him push through from third on the grid to ultimately take the lead and control the rest of the race despite a late resurgence from Charles Leclerc.

Speaking to Sky Sports after the race, it was suggested with such physical resilience he would perhaps be a successful boxer like another champion, Muhammad Ali.

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“It was an incredible Grand Prix, very physical as well, but I think we kept it exciting until the end,” Verstappen said.

“I think I’ll stick to racing but I appreciate boxing. I’m incredibly happy winning in Miami. It was an incredible Sunday for us.”

Ferrari’s Leclerc agreed that it was a tough race to have gone through, and suggested that problems with the tyres – which Red Bull noted had started to fray before the first 10 laps were out – held him back.

“It was a very difficult race physically, we struggled with the medium tyres quite a bit in the first stint and got overtaken then,” he acknowledged.

“It made our race a bit more difficult from that moment onwards.”

There was a brief moment of hope for the Monegasque youngster but despite being unable to capitalise, he was optimistic for the rest of the campaign.

“On the hards we were very competitive and in the end I thought I could get Max at one point, but today they had the advantage in terms of pace,” he explained.

“But it was fun. It was amazing to see so many people and so many Ferrari fans in the grandstand.

“We need to keep pushing. Each race will be very important throughout the year. And I hope now we can do a step up, from next race onwards.”

Leclerc leads the championship by 19 points from second-placed Verstappen.

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Mercedes’ Russell takes the lead in action-packed Miami practice session

George Russell has taken pole position in FP2, overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who had previously topped the standings in the first-ever Miami Grand Prix practice session.

The Mercedes driver set the fastest lap time of 1m 29.938s, to edge ahead of Championship leader Leclerc, who finished 0.106s off the pace.

With track temperatures slightly dropping for the second practice session, drivers began the FP2 race on medium compounds and it was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who took the lead on those tyres with a time of 1m 31.463s.

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Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

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The first piece of drama came when Sainz brought out the first red flag of the session with 40 minutes remaining, who spun and crashed entering the tight chicane on turn 14.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen showed clear signs he was struggling with his steering, and in the final sector – without setting a time – called it a day and returned to the pits with a hydraulics issue.

Russell shot to the top of the leaderboard in his upgraded W13 when the soft tyres came into play, recording a lap time of 1m 29.938s – 0.106s faster than FP1 leader Leclerc.

Perez finished third whilst Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton ended in P4, 0.241s behind teammate Russell.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso looks to lead the midfield after wrapping up the top five, setting a time 0.434s slower than Russell in P1.

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended the day in sixth, 0.597s down on the leader, with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly just behind in P7.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas sat out the session after his FP1 spin, but teammate Zhou Guanyu managed eighth, as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon as Haas’s Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the top ten.

Magnussen’s Haas teammate Mick Schumacher finished in 15th, seven-tenths behind Magnussen, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel wedged in between the Haas drivers.

Lower down the pecking order, Lance Stroll managed P16 for Aston Martin after he avoided the slowing of Verstappen early on, ahead of Williams pair Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, who finished 17th and 18th respectively.

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Mercedes’ Russell takes the lead in action-packed Miami practice session

George Russell has taken pole position in FP2, overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who had previously topped the standings in the first-ever Miami Grand Prix practice session.

The Mercedes driver set the fastest lap time of 1m 29.938s, to edge ahead of Championship leader Leclerc, who finished 0.106s off the pace.

With track temperatures slightly dropping for the second practice session, drivers began the FP2 race on medium compounds and it was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who took the lead on those tyres with a time of 1m 31.463s.

Formula 1

Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

YESTERDAY AT 20:10

The first piece of drama came when Sainz brought out the first red flag of the session with 40 minutes remaining, who spun and crashed entering the tight chicane on turn 14.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen showed clear signs he was struggling with his steering, and in the final sector – without setting a time – called it a day and returned to the pits with a hydraulics issue.

Russell shot to the top of the leaderboard in his upgraded W13 when the soft tyres came into play, recording a lap time of 1m 29.938s – 0.106s faster than FP1 leader Leclerc.

Perez finished third whilst Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton ended in P4, 0.241s behind teammate Russell.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso looks to lead the midfield after wrapping up the top five, setting a time 0.434s slower than Russell in P1.

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended the day in sixth, 0.597s down on the leader, with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly just behind in P7.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas sat out the session after his FP1 spin, but teammate Zhou Guanyu managed eighth, as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon as Haas’s Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the top ten.

Magnussen’s Haas teammate Mick Schumacher finished in 15th, seven-tenths behind Magnussen, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel wedged in between the Haas drivers.

Lower down the pecking order, Lance Stroll managed P16 for Aston Martin after he avoided the slowing of Verstappen early on, ahead of Williams pair Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, who finished 17th and 18th respectively.

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Mercedes’ Russell takes the lead in action-packed Miami practice session

George Russell has taken pole position in FP2, overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who had previously topped the standings in the first-ever Miami Grand Prix practice session.

The Mercedes driver set the fastest lap time of 1m 29.938s, to edge ahead of Championship leader Leclerc, who finished 0.106s off the pace.

With track temperatures slightly dropping for the second practice session, drivers began the FP2 race on medium compounds and it was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who took the lead on those tyres with a time of 1m 31.463s.

Formula 1

Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

YESTERDAY AT 20:10

The first piece of drama came when Sainz brought out the first red flag of the session with 40 minutes remaining, who spun and crashed entering the tight chicane on turn 14.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen showed clear signs he was struggling with his steering, and in the final sector – without setting a time – called it a day and returned to the pits with a hydraulics issue.

Russell shot to the top of the leaderboard in his upgraded W13 when the soft tyres came into play, recording a lap time of 1m 29.938s – 0.106s faster than FP1 leader Leclerc.

Perez finished third whilst Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton ended in P4, 0.241s behind teammate Russell.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso looks to lead the midfield after wrapping up the top five, setting a time 0.434s slower than Russell in P1.

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended the day in sixth, 0.597s down on the leader, with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly just behind in P7.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas sat out the session after his FP1 spin, but teammate Zhou Guanyu managed eighth, as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon as Haas’s Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the top ten.

Magnussen’s Haas teammate Mick Schumacher finished in 15th, seven-tenths behind Magnussen, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel wedged in between the Haas drivers.

Lower down the pecking order, Lance Stroll managed P16 for Aston Martin after he avoided the slowing of Verstappen early on, ahead of Williams pair Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, who finished 17th and 18th respectively.

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Mercedes’ Russell takes the lead in action-packed Miami practice session

George Russell has taken pole position in FP2, overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who had previously topped the standings in the first-ever Miami Grand Prix practice session.

The Mercedes driver set the fastest lap time of 1m 29.938s, to edge ahead of Championship leader Leclerc, who finished 0.106s off the pace.

With track temperatures slightly dropping for the second practice session, drivers began the FP2 race on medium compounds and it was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who took the lead on those tyres with a time of 1m 31.463s.

Formula 1

Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

13 HOURS AGO

The first piece of drama came when Sainz brought out the first red flag of the session with 40 minutes remaining, who spun and crashed entering the tight chicane on turn 14.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen showed clear signs he was struggling with his steering, and in the final sector – without setting a time – called it a day and returned to the pits with a hydraulics issue.

Russell shot to the top of the leaderboard in his upgraded W13 when the soft tyres came into play, recording a lap time of 1m 29.938s – 0.106s faster than FP1 leader Leclerc.

Perez finished third whilst Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton ended in P4, 0.241s behind teammate Russell.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso looks to lead the midfield after wrapping up the top five, setting a time 0.434s slower than Russell in P1.

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended the day in sixth, 0.597s down on the leader, with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly just behind in P7.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas sat out the session after his FP1 spin, but teammate Zhou Guanyu managed eighth, as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon as Haas’s Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the top ten.

Magnussen’s Haas teammate Mick Schumacher finished in 15th, seven-tenths behind Magnussen, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel wedged in between the Haas drivers.

Lower down the pecking order, Lance Stroll managed P16 for Aston Martin after he avoided the slowing of Verstappen early on, ahead of Williams pair Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, who finished 17th and 18th respectively.

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Mercedes’ Russell takes the lead in action-packed Miami practice session

George Russell has taken pole position in FP2, overtaking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc who had previously topped the standings in the first-ever Miami Grand Prix practice session.

The Mercedes driver set the fastest lap time of 1m 29.938s, to edge ahead of Championship leader Leclerc, who finished 0.106s off the pace.

With track temperatures slightly dropping for the second practice session, drivers began the FP2 race on medium compounds and it was Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz who took the lead on those tyres with a time of 1m 31.463s.

Formula 1

Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

14 HOURS AGO

The first piece of drama came when Sainz brought out the first red flag of the session with 40 minutes remaining, who spun and crashed entering the tight chicane on turn 14.

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen showed clear signs he was struggling with his steering, and in the final sector – without setting a time – called it a day and returned to the pits with a hydraulics issue.

Russell shot to the top of the leaderboard in his upgraded W13 when the soft tyres came into play, recording a lap time of 1m 29.938s – 0.106s faster than FP1 leader Leclerc.

Perez finished third whilst Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton ended in P4, 0.241s behind teammate Russell.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso looks to lead the midfield after wrapping up the top five, setting a time 0.434s slower than Russell in P1.

McLaren’s Lando Norris ended the day in sixth, 0.597s down on the leader, with AlphaTauri driver Pierre Gasly just behind in P7.

Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas sat out the session after his FP1 spin, but teammate Zhou Guanyu managed eighth, as Alpine’s Esteban Ocon as Haas’s Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the top ten.

Magnussen’s Haas teammate Mick Schumacher finished in 15th, seven-tenths behind Magnussen, with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo, AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel wedged in between the Haas drivers.

Lower down the pecking order, Lance Stroll managed P16 for Aston Martin after he avoided the slowing of Verstappen early on, ahead of Williams pair Alex Albon and Nicholas Latifi, who finished 17th and 18th respectively.

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Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the fastest time at the Miami Grand Prix first practice session.

The Monegasque is the current championship leader and he is facing a challenge from last season’s champion Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull team appears to have put their early season reliability issues behind them.

Leclerc and Verstappen were quickest out of the blocks as they set early fast times, but all drivers whittled away the time as they got used to a brand new track.

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Many of them struggled to anticipate the moves of their peers around the course, into and out of the pits, with a completely fresh layout taking time to master.

Before the race it was not clear whether Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton would be permitted – or willing – to race as the FIA repeated its warnings that it would not be allowed for drivers to wear jewellery while competing, but he made it out onto the track and set the eighth-fastest time on softs.

His teammate George Russell continued his impressive form with the second-fastest time, but there remains plenty to be done this weekend.

The session was not without incident as Esteban Ocon was investigated for a near-collision with Russell early on in the pits, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas span out on turn 7, and Carlos Sainz narrowly avoided a crash with a wall only to puncture his tyre.

Amongst the drama and confusion, and after Bottas caused a red flag, it was the season’s dominant drivers so far who finished in the top three with Leclerc ahead of Russell and then Verstappen, with session two due later in the day.

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Leclerc quickest at Miami Grand Prix first practice session

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc set the fastest time at the Miami Grand Prix first practice session.

The Monegasque is the current championship leader and he is facing a challenge from last season’s champion Max Verstappen, whose Red Bull team appears to have put their early season reliability issues behind them.

Leclerc and Verstappen were quickest out of the blocks as they set early fast times, but all drivers whittled away the time as they got used to a brand new track.

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Mercedes’ Russell takes the lead in action-packed Miami practice session

AN HOUR AGO

Many of them struggled to anticipate the moves of their peers around the course, into and out of the pits, with a completely fresh layout taking time to master.

Before the race it was not clear whether Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton would be permitted – or willing – to race as the FIA repeated its warnings that it would not be allowed for drivers to wear jewellery while competing, but he made it out onto the track and set the eighth-fastest time on softs.

His teammate George Russell continued his impressive form with the second-fastest time, but there remains plenty to be done this weekend.

The session was not without incident as Esteban Ocon was investigated for a near-collision with Russell early on in the pits, Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas span out on turn 7, and Carlos Sainz narrowly avoided a crash with a wall only to puncture his tyre.

Amongst the drama and confusion, and after Bottas caused a red flag, it was the season’s dominant drivers so far who finished in the top three with Leclerc ahead of Russell and then Verstappen, with session two due later in the day.

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