By Robert Haile

The team battle at Red Bull just heated up as Max Verstappen came from ninth to win the Miami Grand Prix as all twenty cars finish the race.

Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez took pole position in a shortened qualifying as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc red flag set the grid before Verstappen could set a lap time.

This didn’t stop the the two time World Champion from charging through the grid to end the race over three seconds clear of Perez.

“I stayed out of trouble at the beginning, had a clean race, picked off the cars one by one and I could stay out really long on the hard tyres,” said Verstappen.

“I think that’s where we made the difference today and then a good little battle with Checo at the end.”

From the beginning Perez led from the start keeping the ever green Aston Martin of Fernando Alonso at bay, who would claim third place.

It would take until nearly ten laps from the end before Verstappen would catch and pass Perez.

Further back George Russell took fourth for Mercedes with Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz fifth even after being hit with a 5 second penalty for speeding in the pit lane.

Lewis Hamilton fought back from a poor qualifying to finish sixth for Mercedes with Leclerc snapping at his heels in seventh.h

While Alpine recovered from a disappointing Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon took eighth and ninth as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen claimed the final point in tenth.

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AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll battles for eleventh with Tsunoda holding the place at the chequered flag.

Valtteri Bottas ended up thirteenth for Alfa Romeo with Alex Albon’s Williams, Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and teammate Zhou Guanyu following the Finn home.

McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were split by AlphaTauri’s Nyck de Vries as Logan Sargeant’s Williams brought the field home as no one retired from the race.

Verstappen extends his lead over Perez in the Drivers Championship with Alonso further back in third.

In the Constructors Championship Red Bull are well clear of Aston Martin in second with Mercedes and Ferrari in third and fourth closing the gap to the British team.

Formula One heads to Europe after a weekend off for three race weekends in a row starting with the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and Imola on May 19-21.