Max Verstappen reveals twin factors behind Red Bull 'light at the end of the tunnel'

Max Verstappen has attributed seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel" with Red Bull after qualifying a surprise second place for the Miami Grand Prix.

The Dutchman will line up for the 57-lap race in Florida alongside Kimi Antonelli, who took his third consecutive pole position.

However, the four-time F1 drivers' champion was more than happy with playing second fiddle to the Mercedes driver.

Detailing the unexpected turnaround in fortunes, the 28-year-old said: "For me, it's been two things.

"For sure, the car has not been great in the previous races, but also, from my side, I never felt comfortable with the layout of the car.

"And I think over those last few weeks, the team has been pushing flat out to try and bring upgrades to the car and making me feel more comfortable with a lot of things in the car, and it really paid off.

"I feel more in control of the car again, and then I can push a bit more, then the upgrades are working.

"To be on the front row is way better than I expected heading into this weekend."

With adverse weather expected at the Miami International Autodrome for the grand prix, it is a step into the unknown for the entire field, as the first wet race of the new F1 era.

But Verstappen is more concerned with executing his launch off the grid properly first, something that has plagued him — and Antonelli — so far this season.

"Let's first start with a good start, I've not had a lot of them this year, so we'll try to have a look at that, for sure, see what the weather will do tomorrow," he said.

"But I'm already very happy where we are. From here, there's light at the end of the tunnel that we can just push on and try to close the gap further."

When addressing his potential race pace, he added, "It looked alright in the sprint once I was in clean air. Of course, tomorrow, completely different day."