Max Verstappen spun his Red Bull on the first lap of the Miami Grand Prix but recovered to finish fifth. The four-time champion quipped that he could switch to rallying if Formula 1 does not work out. He received a minor penalty that did not affect his result.
Max Verstappen experienced a dramatic 360-degree spin at Turn 2 while battling Charles Leclerc for the lead at the start of the Miami Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver lost the rear under acceleration with a heavy fuel load but skillfully regained control, avoiding the wall and any major damage. The pack spread out behind him as he dropped into the midfield fight against drivers including Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz of Williams, as well as Sainz of Ferrari later mentioned in context, but focused on the immediate recovery. Verstappen explained, “I lost the rear in Turn 2 and then of course I tried to minimise the time loss by doing a 360. Yeah, I thought I was going to crash but then I floored it, so I managed to do a good 360. If F1 doesn't work out I can always go rally!” referencing his father Jos's rallying background after single-seaters and a recent crash in Belgium. Leclerc closed the line aggressively at the apex, coming inches from contact, but Verstappen had no complaints about the move. He noted, “We just pushed into the corner but I just lost suddenly the rear. It just started to slide and once it goes, with heavy fuel, it's hard to catch.” During a safety car period, Verstappen switched to hard tyres, which struggled against fresher compounds from frontrunners in the second stint. He finished fifth after Leclerc spun on the final lap. Verstappen received a five-second penalty for crossing the white line at the pitlane exit, but it did not impact his position given Leclerc's larger 20-second penalty for cutting corners in his damaged Ferrari.
