Max Verstappen protagonized a chaotic moment right at the start of the Miami Formula 1 GP. The Red Bull Racing driver spun alone 360 degrees after trying to take the lead and fell back to the midfield pack.
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The incident happened still in the first corners and compromised his race, although the Dutchman managed to recover to fifth position. Even so, he was still under investigation by the stewards for crossing the pit exit line during the race.
Verstappen stated that he lost the rear by forcing the entry into turn 2, aggravated by the car’s weight at the start of the race: “It was quite chaotic, I lost the rear in turn 2 and tried to minimize the time loss by doing the 360,” he said. He also joked about the situation: “I thought I was going to crash, so I floored it and managed to complete the spin. If Formula 1 doesn’t work out, I can go to Rally,” he said smiling.
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After the mistake, the four-time world champion highlighted that the pace with medium tires was competitive, but the situation changed with the hards: “After that, the pace wasn’t bad with the mediums, but when I switched to the hards it got much harder. Now, looking back after the race, I think that stint was a bit too long,” he added.
In the final stretch, Verstappen also overtook Charles Leclerc, who was facing problems in his Ferrari: “I think Charles’s car had some problem, he just wanted to finish. We were all using the battery, but for some reason I managed to pass him before the finish line,” he concluded.
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