FRIDAY DEBRIEF: Why Red Bull look like they’re facing some stiff competition in the Miami heat

On paper, it was just another pole position for Red Bull in Miami, with Max Verstappen topping the times in Sprint Qualifying.

However, McLaren were significantly closer than anyone expected – including themselves – and the papaya cars are showing such speed, the reigning world champions may not have it all their own way this weekend.

Red Bull get the job done when it matters

Red Bull looked a little off colour in the first two segments of qualifying – and yet when it mattered, Verstappen got the job done in the final part of the session to snatch pole position.

While McLaren topped the pecking order in our Sprint Qualifying analysis, edging out Red Bull by 0.15s based on Norris setting a faster time in SQ2 on the medium than Verstappen’s best, which was on the soft in SQ3.