During the post-race press conference, a journalist asked Verstappen if Norris would have won the race without the Safety Car intervention while Verstappen was leading. Verstappen’s response was typical of him, giving a classic answer. The Safety Car allowed Norris to make a pitstop for free and take the lead of the race for the restart. Despite Verstappen closely following Norris throughout, the McLaren driver managed to maintain his lead into Turn 1. However, after that, the McLaren #4 car gradually created a gap between itself and the Red Bull #1 car.
When asked about the possibility of Norris winning without the Safety Car, Verstappen admitted that he didn’t know the gap between them before the Safety Car came out. He then turned to Norris and asked how far behind him he was. Norris replied that it would have been tough for him to overtake, as he would have had to pass two Ferraris and a Red Bull, referring to Verstappen’s car. Verstappen seemed irritated by the question and responded with a sarcastic remark, emphasizing that there are always “ifs” in racing and that sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t.
Verstappen had a close call at Turn 1, narrowly avoiding a collision with his Red Bull teammate Perez, who had braked too late and caused chaos in the first corner complex. When asked if he was aware of the danger he faced in Turn 1, Verstappen confirmed that he was very much aware. He noticed Perez locking up and even found a scratch on his diffuser after the race, indicating that something had hit his car. Verstappen acknowledged that it was a close call and could have ended in disaster for the team, considering the potential consequences. Perez ultimately finished in fourth place.
Later in the press conference, Verstappen’s sarcastic tone continued when he was asked about hitting a bollard while leading the race. He jokingly replied that he didn’t like the bollard, so he decided to test the durability of the front wing by taking it out. He added that there was no damage, and the cone was out of the way for everyone, making it a free-for-all after that.
Despite finishing in second place, Verstappen extended his lead in the 2024 F1 World Championship standings by eight points over Perez following the Miami race.