Max Verstappen traveled to the US feeling relieved, with his first Grand Prix taking place in Miami next Sunday.
The world champion had a rough start to the season with one win and two retirements. His gap to Charles Leclerc in the championship was no less than 46 points after the Grand Prix of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia. Extending his title seemed a long way off, but the Dutchman made a strong comeback at Imola. He scored 34 points in the weekend sprint and watched his lead with Leclerc narrow to 27 points. That’s still a huge difference, but the updates to Verstappen’s RB18 seem to be working and that’s already a huge improvement.
Verstappen is especially looking forward to the adventure next weekend in Miami. Formula 1 guest in Florida for the first time. Expectations are high, and so are with Verstappen. “I think this weekend is going to be crazy!” , said the Dutchman in his preview. “I was driving the track on the simulator. We trained and prepared as much as we could without visiting the track in real life. I love racing in Austin, so it’s a good idea to go to another state to race this year.”
“I also think it helps the cars follow and overtake each other more easily,” Verstappen continues. “More teams are fighting to win, I think that’s the most important thing for the fans. I hope it’s an exciting weekend. Miami is a very beautiful city and I think it’s a very exciting location to host the Grand Prix, and I think not only the drivers are excited, but the fans also “.
Read also: This is what a (virtual) tour of the Miami International Autodrome looks like
Miami International Autodrome will be fully sold out this weekend with 240,000 visitors and Verstappen didn’t miss it. “It is exciting to see Formula 1 grow and expand in the United States. Formula 1 and the teams are working hard to promote the sport. We have more and more races here, so step by step we are making it more popular.”
The complete schedule for the Miami Grand Prix
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