Verstappen 'happy no one was hurt' in clash with Antonelli

In the space of three years, things can change very quickly, especially in Formula 1. At the start of the 2022 season, Red Bull and Ferrari were fighting for the championship lead, while in 2025, McLaren et Mercedes monopolize the first places. At the time, the Team was mocked for her failed strategies, which cost a significant number of points to Charles Leclerc, unable to deprive Max Verstappen of a second consecutive title.

Yet three years later, the winning machine that was Red Bull has lost its clockwork precision, while the Scuderia has finally sorted out all its execution issues. Lewis Hamilton made a perfect 2” pit stop in the sprint race in Miami, which allowed him to take third place in the event.

Meanwhile, it was in this same pit lane that Max Verstappen lost all chances of finishing in the points: having stopped in his garage to fit slick tires, the four-time world champion was released... just as Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes arrived. The Dutchman lost a piece of his front wing, while the Italian was unable to stop in front of his mechanics and had to return the following lap.

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Red Bull's mistake costs Verstappen dearly

This mistake, over which Max Verstappen had no control, cost the winner of the last Japanese GP a 10-second penalty, which left him 17th and last in the standings. This latest incident attests to Red Bull's hesitation in the pits this year: what was once a strength of the Red Bull has turned into a crippling weakness.

"They were all different," Verstappen qualifies when discussing these various incidents in the pit lane, notably the one in Bahrain, where the flashing lights that were supposed to give the drivers the starting signal were no longer working. "You can't really compare these situations. None of us wanted this to happen, but it did.", continues the Dutchman to Sky Sports.

"It's something we need to look into. On the other hand, I'm just relieved that no one was hurt. With these cars, if you hit someone, it's not ideal. It was very clear what happened, so I don't have much to add."he concludes.

His boss, Christian Horner, pointed out: a human error " and promised that his team would " learn from it ". With Alpine and Sauber, Red Bull is one of only three teams not to have scored a single point in the sprint race.

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