Martin Brundle saw Max Verstappen do something ‘absolutely genius’ after Miami Grand Prix spin

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Martin Brundle says Max Verstappen’s ‘genius’ shone through even when he made an error at the start of the Miami Grand Prix.

Verstappen started on the front row alongside Kimi Antonelli but ran deep at the first corner as he tried to take the lead. After cutting back onto the circuit, the Red Bull driver lit his tyres up and spun.

Rather than falling to the back of the field after the uncharacteristic mistake, Verstappen only dropped to ninth.

Martin Brundle reacts to Max Verstappen’s error at Miami Grand Prix

Watching the replay of the start on Sky Sports, Brundle suggested that Verstappen had been ‘panicked’ by the presence of the fast-starting Charles Leclerc. Leclerc lined up third but pulled alongside the front-row duo after another lightning Ferrari launch.

However, Brundle was simultaneously amazed that Verstappen managed to gather some ‘forward momentum’ and avoid a race-ruining incident.

“That was genius from Verstappen,” said Brundle. “Absolutely genius.

“Max gets trigger-happy on the throttle, floors it again, does a complete 360 and carries on.

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“Max panics a little bit with Leclerc on his inside. It’s so unusual for Max to make a mistake like that. He just got too punchy on the throttle and he got a little bit alarmed by the Ferrari on the outside of him.

“But what he did next was genius.

“That was the clever bit of correcting the car when it had done its 360. The skill of managing to get some forward momentum and not get run into.”

Speaking during the Sprint race on Saturday, where he finished fifth, Brundle said Verstappen had regained ‘trust’ in his Red Bull after an impressive series of upgrades. The four-time world champion had spent most of the first three races scrapping in the midfield.

Carlos Sainz complains about Max Verstappen during Miami GP

As Verstappen fought his way back after the blunder, he drew the ire of former Toro Rosso teammate Carlos Sainz after a lunge at the final corner.

“He pushed me off!” Sainz complained over the radio. “He thinks he can do whatever he wants just because he’s racing in the midfield!”

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Verstappen then clashed with the other Williams of Alex Albon, who attempted an opportunistic double overtake.

“Mate, he squeezed me onto the bollard! What the f—! That is not allowed!”

The stewards noted the incident but decided that it merited no further investigation.