Max Verstappen took another pole position at the Miami Grand Prix on Saturday. Despite Red Bull’s apparent pace deficit to McLaren, he now has more than any other driver this year.
Verstappen is trying to extend his title streak to five, matching the record set by Michael Schumacher. This would surely be his most impressive crown yet.
Last year, he had to enter defensive mode for the second half of the season as McLaren overtook Red Bull in the pecking order. But he could at least protect a healthy margin from his team’s dominant start.
This year, he’s started on the back foot. But while Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris are both world-class drivers, many regard Verstappen as the best on the grid right now.
The McLaren pair should recognise that, even with quicker machinery, it will take a monumental effort to dethrone him. Nobody has managed it since he defeated Lewis Hamilton in 2021.
Laurent Mekies asked whether Isack Hadjar is occasionally ‘quicker’ than Max Verstappen
Before the Sprint on Saturday, Sky Sports interviewed Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies. He was asked about a remarkable rumour around Isack Hadjar.
Simon Lazenby has heard that the Frenchman is occasionally outpacing Max Verstappen in some corners. This would be extraordinary given that the VCARB02 is a demonstrably slower car, and Hadjar is only six weekends into his career.
Predictably, Mekies wouldn’t answer the question directly. But he did speak highly of the 20-year-old’s ‘natural speed’.
Lazenby said: “I heard some rumours that if you overlay a bit of data, a couple of traces, between himself and Max Verstappen, sometimes in the slower corners on occasion, he’s been quicker.”
Mekies replied: “Let me put it this way, the fact that he’s been able to qualify just behind the top four teams, sometimes with them, says a lot. Our car is not faster than these guys, and the fact that he’s able to bring it in the mix says a lot about his natural speed.”
Yuki Tsunoda should be worried by what Christian Horner said about Isack Hadjar
Hadjar was frustrated to only take P11 on the Miami Grand Prix grid. He did at least extend his lead over teammate Liam Lawson to 3-1.
Last year’s F2 runner-up qualified seventh in back-to-back races in China and Japan, claiming the scalps of Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli in the process.
Hamilton called Hadjar his favourite rookie, even ahead of former colleague Antonelli, in an interview this week. That’s a precious compliment from his idol.
Even more importantly, Red Bull boss Christian Horner says Hadjar has exceeded all expectations so far. That should worry the incumbent Yuki Tsunoda, who’s enjoying a solid weekend in Miami but hasn’t yet done anything to get his new team truly excited.
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