Nate Saunders May 1, 2026, 07:11 PM ET MIAMI -- Max Verstappen has said Red Bull has halved the gap to the leading pack with the upgrade package its brought to the Miami Grand Prix. Verstappen qualified fifth for Saturday sprint race, 0.6 seconds off Lando Norris ' McLaren, but looked much more competitive than at any point previously this season. Verstappen and Red Bull were a big step behind the lead pack over the first three races and he spent most of the Japanese Grand Prix at the end of March battling Alpine's Pierre Gasly . "It feels more together," Verstappen said of the team's upgraded car. "Of course, [there are] still things that we are working on, but it's been a really positive step for us. "You know, last few races we were like over a second behind. I would say we have almost halved that gap now. So that's positive. "We're still very weak in the first sector, which is mainly high-speed. So we know that we need to work on that.…