Jenson Button claims Max Verstappen’s Miami GP data clearly shows where Red Bull are ‘struggling’

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Jenson Button has pinpointed where Red Bull are still ‘struggling’ with their RB22 after looking at Max Verstappen’s ‘very strong’ data from Sprint qualifying at the Miami Grand Prix.

It was Lando Norris who claimed pole position for the Sprint at the Miami International Autodrome on Friday afternoon, but Max Verstappen also indicated a stark shift in Red Bull’s fortunes after setting some of the sector timings alight on his way to a P5 grid slot.

He will start Saturday’s Sprint alongside F1 nemesis George Russell, who has suffered with finding the right balance in his Mercedes W17.

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Having entered the race weekend as one of the title favourites, early indications suggest the Silver Arrows’ rivals have begun to bridge the gap to them.

In Verstappen’s case, his one-lap pace looked encouraging, but the continuation of Red Bull’s gap to the front-runners suggests that the engineers in Milton Keynes still have more pace to find, with Jenson Button pinpointing high-speed corners as their main issue.

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Jenson Button identifies high-speed corners as Red Bull’s weakness from Max Verstappen’s data

Speaking via Sky Sports F1’s coverage of Sprint qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix, Button and presenter Simon Lazenby were discussing Verstappen’s post-session comments.

The Dutchman highlighted how the upgrades Red Bull brought to Miami have been a “really positive step” for him and teammate Isack Hadjar, but also noted that there are some things they still need to “work on”.

In reference to the comments, Lazenby said, “With Max, he’s absolutely gonna call it as he sees it. If he thinks there’s been some improvements in qualifying, they may not be where he wants yet, but they’re better, and that’s encouraging.”

Button then replied, “It is, and if you look at his sectors, sector two and three were very strong, especially sector three, he was purple for most of the session.

“It’s the high speed that they seem to be struggling with, and it’s not just a small amount, either. He was six-tenths down, I think, in the first sector. So it’s the high speed that they need to work on.

“The low speed, mechanical grip seems to be good, their straight line speed is good. So it’s the high speed, which isn’t an easy thing to work on. You cannot just bolt more downforce on, so it’s gonna take a bit of time, but at least they know where the issues lie. 

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