Karun Chandhok believes Max Verstappen spin cost him a Miami Grand Prix podium opportunity

Karun Chandhok felt that Max Verstappen had a good shot at a podium finish in Miami, but his early spin took that chance away.

Verstappen lined up on the front row for the first time in 2026, but things went wrong straight away. He dropped back at the start and spun around Turn 1, managing to avoid damage despite spinning into oncoming traffic.

He fought his way back through the field with some aggressive overtakes and finished fifth. Verstappen was also handed a five-second penalty for crossing the pit exit line, though it didn’t impact his final position.

Red Bull had brought several upgrades to Miami, which seemed to help Verstappen’s pace. However, Lando Norris criticised his approach, suggesting he was wasting time fighting unnecessary battles in midfield instead of focusing on moving forward.

Damon Hill echoed Norris’ comments, and Carlos Sainz also questioned some of Verstappen’s early race moves. Though Verstappen did produce a strong recovery drive by later stages of the race, the early mistake cost him any hope of reaching the podium.

Karun Chandhok believes Max Verstappen quietly backed himself for a podium finish

Chandhok, speaking about Verstappen after the race, shared his impression that the Red Bull driver had felt a podium was within reach.

He wrote on The Intercooler: “McLaren has got a few more go-faster bits to come in Canada while Red Bull says it has five fundamental areas of deficit to Mercedes.

“Red Bull believes that the Miami upgrade dealt with three of them but there are still two key areas where it can unlock additional performance.”

“Max Verstappen qualified on the front row, but his early uncharacteristic spin meant we didn’t see his full potential in the race. I spoke with Max after the race and got the sense that he didn’t think that they could have challenged Kimi or Lando Norris up front but that the final place on the podium would otherwise have been within reach.”

Isack Hadjar’s struggles in Miami raise fresh questions for Red Bull

On the other side of the garage, Isack Hadjar had a tough time in Miami, crashing out on lap four after hitting the inside wall at turn 14.

James Hinchcliffe initially thought Hadjar had put an end to Red Bull’s ‘second car blues,’ but after his difficult weekend, Chandhok noted that Verstappen seemed to take full advantage of a more competitive car.

He added: “And Hadjar’s clumsy crash on lap five will not have helped his confidence at all, so he’ll need a good weekend in Montreal to bounce back. Just as well, then, that there’s a three-week break before the circus rolls into town.”