This season, Max Verstappen has won every race he has entered, but reliability issues have kept him on the back foot.
Max Verstappen’s 2022 season has already had its highs and lows, with the Dutchman winning every race he’s entered but being forced to retire twice this season.
The reigning World Champion raced to a record-breaking victory in the inaugural Miami Grand Prix after passing Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz Jr and Charles Leclerc within the first nine laps.
Verstappen’s weekend at the Miami International Autodrome got off to a bumpy start when his RB18 had a hydraulic issue on Friday’s free practice. If the Red Bull driver had not won the race, his Friday troubles would have undoubtedly been blamed for his failure.
The Dutchman spoke on his first journey to Miami and how the car’s reliability still remains to be a “hit-or-miss.”
“From my side, I had a lot of issues on Friday, which compromises your weekend,” said Verstappen. “Of course, everything went well with the start of the race, but it also could have been the other way around.”
“We just have to nail down a really positive weekend without issues. I think in Imola we had that, but it’s still a bit hit-or-miss too much.”
“As you can see, the car is quick, and I’m very happy about that. If we were to be slow and reliable, that’s probably not a good thing.”
With his triumph in Miami, the Red Bull driver has now won all three races he’s competed in this season, including victories in Saudi Arabia and Imola. However, the 24-year-old was forced to retire from both the Bahrain and Australian Grands Prix, allowing Leclerc to extend his lead in the standings.
Verstappen’s teammate, Sergio Pérez has had reliability concerns early in the season as well. His most recent incident similarly occurred in Miami, but this time it occurred during the race, when he was battling for third with Sainz.
The Mexican driver suffered a sensor malfunction halfway through the race, putting his chances of a podium finish in jeopardy.
This year, Red Bull has proven to be lightning fast, but their continuous reliability concerns could determine whether they win the constructors’ championship or not.
“We’re still having a few issues that we have to solve,” added Verstappen. “We are quick but, as you could see, my Friday was terrible, which is not great if you want to have a good weekend.”
“Also Checo [Perez] had a few issues in the race, so we have to be on top of that. Clearly there is a lot of potential and we just need to make sure it’s reliable.”
