Max Verstappen reacts to F1 battle with Lewis Hamilton in Miami: 'Waste of time'

An edited of Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen side-by-side looking serious — Photo: © IMAGO

Miami Grand Prix Sprint

Max Verstappen reacts to F1 battle with Lewis Hamilton in Miami: 'Waste of time'

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen were involved in a tussle in Miami

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 2 May 2026 20:21

Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has reflected on his battle with arch nemesis Lewis Hamilton at the Miami Grand Prix, suggesting he 'wasted' four seconds battling with the seven-time champion.

Having qualified above Ferrari's Hamilton for the sprint race in Miami, Verstappen fended off the fast-starting SF-26 at the start of the race, before being overtaken on lap three by Hamilton.

Verstappen then attempted to get past Hamilton as the race progressed, including one moment on lap eight when he got past, but forced Hamilton off-track in the process.

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Verstappen was told by race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to give the position back to Hamilton to avoid picking up a penalty, which he duly did heading into turn 17 at the Miami International Autodrome.

But Hamilton seemed to be unsure as to whether Verstappen was given him the place back or not (Saudi Arabia 2021, anyone?) and the whole switching of positions lost both drivers a chunk of time.

Verstappen later got the move done again, this time legally, but following the sprint race, Verstappen bemoaned the frustrating incident, which he felt stopped him from challenging the Mercedes drivers ahead for a podium.

"I had to let him by but he doesn't come by," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1. "So we lose four seconds because he just stays behind me. That's where we wasted our time. I don't know what else I could have done there.

"So that's a bit of a shame but after that, I think once I was in clean air the pace was actually quite ok. Saw a lot of things that I think we have to work on, because the low speed, the car is jumping a lot, which is costing me quite a lot of grip.

"I think once we had our issues a little bit sorted, because start was again not good, there was something similar to China that happened. After that, out of the last corner in lap one I had no battery release. So that was then making it, of course, a lot more difficult for me.

"But yeah, after that, once I was in clean air, actually, the car felt not too bad. I mean, I was catching again, one Mercedes. So yeah, the pace is all right, even though I think there's still quite a lot of room for improvements from our side, the car is still not where I wanted to be. And also in the low speed corners the car is jumping a lot, which is a bit awkward, but yeah, we just keep going."

Red Bull on the mend?

Following a late penalty for Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen finished the sprint race in fifth, his best race result of the 2026 season so far.

He admitted following sprint qualifying on Friday that Red Bull had 'pulled away from the midfield' on the 2026 grid, after developing changes to their RB22 during the five-week break from the sport.

In total, Red Bull brought seven upgrades to the Miami International Autodrome, including a Ferrari-style 'macarena' rear wing design.

It appears as though Red Bull have caught up somewhat to their three rivals for podium positions - McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari - and could well start to see improved performances as the season progresses.

That'll be music to four-time champion Verstappen's ears, with the Dutchman having been staring down the barrel of a season spent fighting in the midfield following the early weeks of the season.

F1 Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Miami Grand Prix