Max Verstappen takes 5th at Miami after a spin but still wants improvements to his car

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Max Verstappen was feeling a bit more comfortable in his car at the Miami Grand Prix, but the four-time Formula 1 champion still believes Red Bull has improvements to make.

After testing out Red Bull's upgrades made during a five-week break in the F1 schedule, Verstappen had his best result of the season on Sunday, finishing fifth despite spinning from second on the opening lap.

Verstappen has been a vocal critic of the current car regulations, even going as far as saying he's considering leaving the sport. He left Miami only slightly happier with the car.

“I mean, my car drives a bit better,” said Verstappen, who qualified a season-best second for the race at Miami International Autodrome. “But what I said before about the regulations is the same. ... It’s still not how I would like to see it.”

Verstappen was part of a chaotic start to Sunday's race when he spun trying to hold off Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who had surged to the lead ahead of eventual winner Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes on the opening lap. The spin caused Verstappen to fall to ninth.

“Quite hectic,” Verstappen said. “I lost the rear into Turn 2. Then I tried to minimize the time loss by doing a 360. I thought I was going to crash but then I floored it and managed to do a good 360. So if F1 doesn't work out, I could always go Rally (racing).”

Verstappen worked his way through the midfield back into third, even briefly taking the lead as others pitted. He attempted to make it a one-stop race, an approach that eventually cost him.

“After that (spin) I think the pace was not too bad on the medium (tires),” he said, “but as soon as I swapped to the hard compound (tires) it was just a lot more difficult. Now, after the race it’s easy to say of course, but I think that stint was just a bit too long.”

Leclerc settled for a sixth-place finish despite getting off to a strong start from third.

He was among the leaders throughout the race, but a costly move on the penultimate lap caused him to spin and hit the barriers.

“The damage was significant,” Leclerc said afterward, adding: “I'm very disappointed with myself. It's all on me and it's not acceptable.”

Leclerc's teammate Lewis Hamilton said it was a disappointing weekend he qualified sixth and finished seventh. Hamilton's car was affected by an apparent collision with Franco Colapinto of Alpine at the start.

“Overall, it was a challenging weekend, but I believe we have a good car and there are some positives to take away,” Hamilton said. “We just need to keep pushing, both at the factory and at the track, to keep adding performance and close the gap as we move forward.”

F1 races typically bring out famous faces from all over, and rainy weather on Sunday didn't stop the influx of celebrities.

Miami-based entertainer DJ Khaled arrived at Miami International Autodrome on a yacht that was toting an F1 car belonging to Red Bull's sister team.

Inter Miami's Lionel Messi, perhaps looking for a refreshing getaway after Saturday's disappointing loss to Orlando City, arrived with his family a few hours before the race, posed for photos with drivers and visited the Mercedes garage. Messi's teammates Luis Suárez and Tadeo Allende were also in attendance.

Stars from all over the sports world toured the campus' sprawling grounds all weekend, including tennis greats Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal — he flew the checkered flag at the end of the race — the Miami Heat's Bam Adebayo, and several Miami Dolphins players.

Also spotted were actors Colin Farrell and Patrick Dempsey, late-night host Jimmy Fallon and astronaut Reid Wiseman, the commander of last month's Artemis II moon mission.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Rafael Nadal stands in the paddock before the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Lionel Messi watches the of the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc of Monaco enters the pit area during the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, Pool)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands steers his car during the Miami Formula One Grand Prix auto race, Sunday, May 3, 2026, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — NBA top rookie Cooper Flagg got a fast ride on the track Sunday before the NASCAR race in Texas with another 19-year-old, Cup Series rookie Connor Zilisch.

A week after being named the NBA Rookie of the Year, the Dallas Mavericks' 6-foot-9 forward was the honorary pace car driver for the race in Texas.

But several hours before leading the 38-car field to the green flag at the 1 1/2-mile track, Flagg was the passenger in that 2026 Chevrolet Corvette. It was driven then by Zilisch, who is in his first full Cup season with Trackhouse Racing after winning 10 races in NASCAR's second-tier series last year.

“We got going pretty fast, and I think half the ride I was more scared of what was going on,” Flagg said. “I've never been in a car going that fast, so it was pretty cool.”

Zilisch was driving well over 100 mph while giving Flagg an up-close look at the track.

So what do a couple of 19-year-old guys talk about while going around the track?

“I don’t know much about racing, but I think just being able to connect on the fact that we’re both young in our respective sports ... that was really cool, and to be able to talk to someone that’s going through a lot of similar things at a time in your life," Flagg said. "There’s just not many people that have been through this type of stuff at this age, so I think it was cool to connect on that.”

It was the first time Flagg, who was born and grew up in Maine, had been to any NASCAR track. But his parents in 1999 started going regularly to races at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, with Tony Stewart being their favorite driver.

Flagg said his parents, who were with him, hadn't been to a NASCAR race in a while since they got busy following him and his two brothers. During their visit to Texas, they got to meet personally with seven-time Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, four-time champ Jeff Gordon and owner-driver Denny Hamlin.

On the warmup laps, Hamlin drove his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota alongside the pace car driven by Flagg. Hamlin then backed off and pulled up to the bumper before settling back to the second row and his starting spot of fourth for the green flag.

Flagg set a host of records as an NBA teenager and edged his former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel for the NBA rookie award announced last Monday. Flagg was the first rookie since Michael Jordan, now a NASCAR owner, in 1984-85 to lead his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba and AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/apf-AutoRacing

Honorary pace car driver Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg, center left, prepares for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Honorary pace car driver Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg prepares for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg reacts to a question about driving fast during a news conference before acting as honorary pace car driver for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg answers a question before acting as honorary pace car driver for a NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, May 3, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)