Max Verstappen throws “very sloppy” Red Bull under the bus over Miami GP Sprint pitlane crash with Kimi Antonelli

Max Verstappen did not hold back from blaming Red Bull for his costly crash with Kimi Antonelli in the pitlane during the Miami GP Sprint race.

Max Verstappen throws “very sloppy” Red Bull under the bus over Miami GP Sprint pitlane crash with Kimi Antonelli

Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli (images via IMAGO)

The sprint race at the Miami GP was a chaotic affair. Rain made things tricky for drivers with a red flag being called at the start. So much so, that Charles Leclerc crashed out on his way to the grid. Reigning world champion Max Verstappen, who is known to the master of such conditions, ran off during the formation lap. However, the Dutchman did make a recovery before colliding with Kimi Antonelli in the pitlane.

Verstappen started the race from fourth place. The Turn 1 incident between pole-sitter Kimi Antonelli and Oscar Piastri allowed the Red Bull driver to move to third place. The reigning world champion pitted for slicks as the track dried up. However, the Red Bull crew released him right in the way of Antonelli.

The two collided with Max Verstappen‘s front wing sustaining damage. Moreover, the Mercedes prodigy was forced to leave the pits without making his stop. FIA handed a ten-second penalty to Verstappen which dropped him down to P17.

After the sprint, the Dutch driver made it clear that such an incident cannot happen again. Max Verstappen admitted that the crew released him too early. F1 drivers are unable to see whether there is a car coming in the pitlane. Rather, drivers leave the pitbox once the green light is shown by the crew. Thus, Verstappen asserted that his team was at fault this time around.

It’s clear what happened there. Yes, can’t make much more of it. Yes, pit stop light goes out, and I can’t see a car coming. Yeah. Very sloppy.

Max Verstappen told Viaplay

Kimi Antonelli opens up on pitlane collision

Kimi Antonelli was already having a bad race after Turn 1. Things became worse following the collision with Max Verstappen. The Mercedes driver lost more positions as he was forced to continue for an extra lap on wet tires. Nevertheless, Antonelli was glad that no one was injured during this incident.

Kimi Antonelli
Kimi Antonelli (via IMAGO)

The 18-year-old acknowledged that Max Verstappen could not be blamed for the collision. Kimi Antonelli recalled that he tried to avoid the Red Bull as soon as he saw Verstappen get released. Luckily no mechanic was injured as the two almost went side-by-side in the narrow pitlane.

About the pitlane.. it was very unfortunate- nothing to blame on Max. He just got released, he respected the order. As soon as I saw him come out, I just tried to avoid the crash, could’ve been a bad accident for the mechanics. Thankfully nothing went wrong there.

Kimi Antonelli said post-race

Certainly, the incident was not only a costly error for Max Verstappen, but also a safety hazard. Red Bull must analyze the issue and ensure that such a mistake is not repeated again. It does not matter if a driver loses a few tenths of a second if that could risk the lives of any personnel in the paddock.

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