Red Bull tipped to be the ‘big surprise’ in Miami after what Max Verstappen did during April break

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Red Bull have been tipped as the ‘big surprise’ of the Miami Grand Prix thanks to what Max Verstappen did during Formula 1’s April break.

As the month-long break approaches its conclusion, F1 will finally return this weekend with the much-anticipated Miami Grand Prix.

Teams have been working around the clock in a bid to close the gap to Mercedes, who have dominated the first three races so far in 2026.

Kimi Antonelli and George Russell are battling for the world championship, with the former leading by nine points as we head to Miami.

Final time 💪 Who is the F1 GOAT, Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna?

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Red Bull tipped to be the ‘big surprise’ at the Miami Grand Prix

Speaking on the recent episode of the RacingNews365 podcast, Dutch racing driver Tom Coronel claimed that Red Bull could be the ‘big surprise’ of the Miami Grand Prix. 

The Dutchman stated that Verstappen was able to race during the break due to his GT3 commitments, but other F1 drivers have ‘taken on a bit of rust’. 

Coronel explained: “Red Bull, one hundred per cent. Max was able to continue driving well, so he is still sharp. The rest has taken on some rust.

“And we know that many changes have been made to the RB22, including weight reduction. So Red Bull are just the big surprise.”

Dutch F1 journalist Ruud Dimmers also agreed with Coronel as he stated that the Red Bull RB22 ‘can’t get any worse’.

He said: “At Red Bull it just can’t get any worse. If that car is a little better again and Max feels more comfortable in it, he will also perform better again.”

Prime Max Verstappen and prime Lewis Hamilton. Equal car, one lap. Who’s faster?

And what's the gap?

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READ MORE: Martin Brundle warns Max Verstappen it won’t be ‘easy’ to leave Red Bull in 2027

Red Bull warned against an aggressive update schedule for RB22

It has been noted that Red Bull would like to bring as many upgrades as possible in the coming races in order to propel themselves back to the front of the grid.

However, speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, James Hinchcliffe has wondered whether the decision could backfire. 

He said: “They have said they want to deploy their updates as early as possible. So they try to spend as much of their development budget as possible as early as possible in the season.

“Red Bull knows about the low-hanging fruit, relatively easy to win performance, and they want to take advantage of that right away.

“Then they want to better understand where more performance can be obtained, which can now give them an advantage.

“But how that turns out later in the season, and whether that might hinder or throw them back, that’s hard to say.”