Max Verstappen realized his chance of winning the Miami Grand Prix was slipping away in an unheard radio exchange during the Safety Car period.

While the timing of the Safety Car played into the hands of eventual winner Lando Norris, Verstappen’s disadvantage was amplified as the Safety Car joined the track in front of him instead of the race leading McLaren. Having been 11 seconds up the road when the Safety Car was deployed, Norris had an advantage of more than 30 seconds when he arrived at the pit lane entrance on lap 29, and was easily able to complete his pit stop before Verstappen arrived and take victory.

However Verstappen was already experiencing one of his more difficult grands prix of 2024. He struggled to get on top of his car’s balance during the first stint and pulled out a lead of less than four seconds over Norris’ team mate Oscar Piastre during the first 22 laps.

As more of Verstappen’s radio messages show, he and race engineer Gian Piero Lambaste were kept busy trying to improve the handling of his RB20:

Lap: 1/57 VER: 1’34.338VerstappenCertainly a lot more understeer. Can I have more open diff high-speed: 4/57 VER: 1’33.504LambiaseHow’s the high speed balance, Max? Verstappen Just on the limit of understeer: 5/57 VER: 1’32.834LambiaseWe have another step available if you need it. Verstappen. Let’s leave it for now, see later. Lap: 7/57 VER: 1’32.895LambiaseDeficits, Max, all areas of management between four and seven. You’re strong in the low-speed, 11 to 16 and 17. Front flap update please Max for the next Verstappen, difficult to say with that compound but I think we can take one or two clicks more, like two maybe. Lap: 8/57 VER: 1’32.838LambiaseJust approaching temperature stabilization so keep on it. Verstappen’s quite tricky also with the rear in seven-eight, quite inconsistent: 10/57 VER: 1’33.267VerstappenYeah, struggling a lot out of one and seven-eight. Car’s very inconsistent. Llambias Okay just watch your brake application Max in turn one, 11 and 17.Lap: 12/57 VER: 1’33.097Lambiase‘Max do you actually have some margin to push your B-bias forward? Either peak or low-speed? Verstappen No, I don’t really. Lap: 13/57 VER: 1’33.129LambiaseGap still 2.8. Main deficit still high-speed and still three-tenths in a straight line. Lap: 14/57 VER: 1’32.918LambiaseOkay Max so if you start to reduce the level of management a little bit from here.

Other front-running drivers including Verstappen’s team mate Sergio Perez and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc had already pitted by the time the race leader slipped up on lap 21. Verstappen cut the chicane, hit a bollard and seemingly damaged his car’s floor.

The debris triggered a Virtual Safety Car period, and though Verstappen wasn’t able to take advantage of that opportunity to make a low-cost pit stop, he did come in immediately afterwards to switch from the medium tyre compound to hard.

Lap: 21/57 VER: 1’32.926VerstappenI hit that cone in 15. Check the front wing. Lambiase Understood. If you see a VSC, pit.Lap: 22/57 VER: 1’32.906VerstappenYeah the rear just snapped on me on entry.Lap: 23/57 VER: 1’51.938LambiaseVSC deployed Max. Dash positive.LambiaseVSC ending.Lap: 27/57 VER: 1’32.515VerstappenIt’s really low grip, I locked up there again.

Soon after his pit stop, a full Safety Car period was triggered by the collision between Kevin Magnussen and Alexander Albon. This was bad news for Verstappen, as it gave the new leader Norris the opportunity to pit and lose less time compared to him.

But when the Safety Car appeared in front of Verstappen instead of the race leader, the Red Bull driver realised Norris was about to gain much more time on him:

Lap: 28/57 VER: 1’39.376LambiaseUnderstood. Currently got double yellow turn two-three. Safety Car deployed, Max, Safety Car deployed. Dash positive. Lap: 29/57 VER: 2’26.519LambiaseMax thoughts on tyres? Verstappen Bit low grip, mate. I can’t really go a lot faster. I mean, I can push harder, just not sure for how long, you know? Llambias Yeah copy that. Verstappen Did Lindo pit? Llambias No, Safety Car came out just as he crossed the pit entry. Llambias Yeah just talking about it up here Max. Verstappen At this rate he’s going to be a lap ahead. Lap: 30/57 VER: 2’04.420VerstappenCan we pass? Green light. Llambias Stand by. Verstappen Okay you are free to overtake, Max. Free to overtake.

Verstappen briefly attacked Norris at the restart but wasn’t able to pass the McLaren. In little time Norris had more than a second’s advantage over Verstappen, who had to worry more about Leclerc behind him than the McLaren ahead:

Lap: 31/57 VER: 1’41.077LambiaseStill double yellows, Max, at turn two-three.LambiaseFail 10. Okay, Safety Car has picked Lando up at turn 17 ahead of you. Okay, so running order. Lando, yourself, Charles, Piastri and Sainz. So obviously Lando on a fresh hard tyre. Piastri and Sainz did put a timed lap on their hard and Checo pitted for a scrubbed medium as well.Lap: 32/57 VER: 2’35.033LambiaseOkay Safety car is in this lap Max, Safety Car is in this lap. So mode three and strat seven. And recharge off when you’re ready.Lap: 33/57 VER: 1’32.227LambiaseAnd mode six please, Max. Gap behind 0.8, ahead 1.2. DRS enabled.Lap: 35/57 VER: 1’31.409VerstappenUnderstood. Gap 0.8.VerstappenTorque six, Max, for seven-eight.

Verstappen seemed even less happy with his car’s balance on the hard tyres than he had been on the mediums. However this was potentially amplified by whatever damage had been done to his car’s floor:

Lap: 37/57 VER: 1’31.377LambiaseDeficit to Lando, Max, is all turn one. So that’s two-tenths.Lap: 38/57 VER: 1’31.526LambiaseDisplay…VerstappenI can’t get the car to turn, it’s a disaster.LambiaseDisplay 11, display one one, position five.LambiaseSo diff seven, mid six.Lap: 39/57 VER: 1’31.336LambiaseDisplay 10. Position 10. Display one zero. Position one zero. You should now have two steps mor engine braking, Max, with that change in the background.Lap: 40/57 VER: 1’31.487LambiaseSo just confirm before that last display change you were effectively in torque eight. You are now torque six. Gap behind 2.1, Lando pace 31.2.VerstappenThe tyres just have no grip, because also the low-speed like I don’t have a lot of rear grip at the same time.LambiaseYeah, understood.Lap: 44/57 VER: 1’31.452VerstappenIs there more rotation for full seven-eight or not?LambiaseStand by. So it’ll be the torque reduction Max. Either a torque reduction or a B-bias offset. I think the latter won’t work. So torque offset, six or P5.Lap: 50/57 VER: 1’31.338LambiaseEight laps remaining. Gap 1.9.

Red Bull consoled their driver at the chequered flag, but given his dissatisfaction with his car’s handling, Verstappen seemed not too disappointed at finishing second.

Chequered flagLambiaseOkay good job Max. It’s a difficult day. But P2 on a difficult day is not a bad place to be.LambiaseYeah it was extremely difficult. These tyres had no grip for me. Anyway, P2 is still not bad.HornerYeah good effort, Max. Obviously unlucky with the Safety Car, but still very good points today.LambiaseAnd just to remind you it’s not the centre board today, mate.HornerNice win for Lando, but, still very good points today Max so still take plenty out of it. Plus the spirit win.LambiaseYeah. I didn’t expect it to be that bad on the hard. But it happens, you can’t win them all.

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2024 Miami Grand Prix

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