Max Verstappen secured second place on the grid for the 2026 Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix after Red Bull introduced key upgrades to its RB22 car. The four-time world champion described the turnaround as 'incredible' following a challenging start to the season. He now lines up behind Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, who took pole position.
Red Bull struggled early in the 2026 season with an RB22 that proved difficult to balance, leaving Verstappen and teammate Isack Hadjar behind frontrunners and even teams like Haas in the constructors' standings. Verstappen's best qualifying before Miami was eighth in Japan, while Hadjar achieved third in Australia amid rivals' power unit issues. A deeper understanding of the car's weaknesses led to the first major upgrade package unveiled at the Miami circuit, transforming its handling significantly. Verstappen finished fifth in Saturday's sprint race, demonstrating improved pace by staying close to leaders rather than falling adrift as in prior events. In qualifying, he edged out Ferrari's Charles Leclerc for second, just two tenths behind Antonelli's benchmark time. So many things were not working up until this weekend. A few things have changed, and it made it a lot more comfortable to drive. I feel a lot more confidence and I don't feel like I'm a passenger anymore in the car. Verstappen praised the Milton Keynes team's relentless efforts to diagnose and fix the car's unpredictable oversteer and understeer. We were really not happy with what we were doing the previous races, but you can see everyone was pushing flat out to try and understand the problems and they have come with solutions. And that's just amazing to see. Amazing team effort. He noted the car still requires further refinement but now allows him to drive assertively.
