- Red flag after Ferrari hits wall and strands Verstappen in ninth
- Grim day for Mercedes with Lewis Hamilton only 13th
Max Verstappen faces the toughest test of his season after being punished for a mistake in qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix. The race desperately wants some fireworks to go with the grand spectacle it is so determined to present and Red Bull’s world champion must now very much light the blue touch paper in Florida.
With his teammate Sergio Pérez taking pole and Verstappen managing only ninth, the Dutchman’s slender championship lead of six points over the Mexican is under genuine threat on Sunday on a track where an inexorable march back to the front from the Dutchman is far from guaranteed and where any errors will be punished even more harshly.
