Following his disqualification for a technical infringement, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar downplayed his 0.825-second qualifying deficit to teammate Max Verstappen at the 2026 F1 Miami Grand Prix, blaming low-grip conditions rather than a true performance gap. Verstappen credited a steering system fix and upgrades for Red Bull's resurgence.
Hadjar, who had initially qualified ninth but was excluded after post-session scrutineering found his RB22's floor boards protruding beyond regulations (as reported separately), sits 12th in the drivers' standings in his second F1 season. He was also 0.961 seconds off Verstappen in Saturday's sprint qualifying. Red Bull entered the weekend sixth in constructors' after three rounds, with prior teammate qualifying gaps under five tenths.
"Just myself, just driving. I think it's a very tricky track, very low grip with high track temperature... Max is very good at adapting to these conditions," Hadjar said. He noted progress in some corners but errors in straights, Turn 1, and overall lap/tyre management. "Max was way better than me at putting everything together and on top of that a bit more straight line - he did a very amazing job!"
Verstappen, securing second on the front row 0.166 seconds behind Mercedes' polesitter Kimi Antonelli, highlighted a crucial fix during the spring break. The team replaced the complete steering rack and components after issues flagged since Barcelona testing. "Most of it is in the steering system, where something was clearly wrong before. They have finally been able to fix that, so now I can at least steer normally again," the four-time champion said.
Surprised after missing Q3 in Japan, Verstappen noted the upgrades—including revised sidepods, new floor, and Macarena-style wing—closed a one-second gap to rivals. "After the first three races, this is obviously really good for us," he added, boosting confidence amid changes like engineer Gianpiero Lambiase's 2028 departure.
