Christian Horner: Max Verstappen's edge over Sergio Perez was in Sector 1

Red Bull Formula 1 team principal Christian Horner claims that Max Verstappen's advantage over Sergio Perez in the Miami GP came primarily in Sector 1.

This area of the track consists of high-speed turns, where Verstappen had an edge over his teammate, allowing him to secure victory.

Despite starting from ninth place, Verstappen was able to outpace Perez, who had qualified on provisional pole position before taking a different race strategy. Verstappen's choice of hard/medium tyres ultimately prevailed over Perez's medium/hard option.

Verstappen displayed impressive speed, particularly when he used older hard tyres in the middle of the race.

"It's just purely sector one, I think [Turns] 3, 4, 5 and 6," said Horner when asked where Verstappen had the advantage. "Max was outstanding in that sector.

"And I think the rest of the lap was much of a muchness. But sector one was where Max was really doing a lot of damage.

"I think it's the way that the sequence of corners flows. It's hard to pinpoint any particular area of consistency.

"I think that Max was on fire through that sector all weekend. But it will vary from circuit to circuit."

He added: "I said to them you're free to race, but just keep it clean. And respect the team and respect each other.

"I felt they did that. They raced firmly but fairly, and they gave each other enough space and respect."