‘It's not what you want to see’ – Verstappen rues pit lane incident in Miami Sprint after losing further ground to McLaren

Max Verstappen has claimed the pit stop error which cost him points in the Miami Sprint is "not what you want to see" as the reigning World Champion lost further ground to McLaren rivals Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

The Dutchman, who became a father for the first time on Thursday, started fourth for the Miami Sprint which began behind the Safety Car before eventually being red-flagged due to the wet weather just before the 100km dash.

READ MORE: Norris wins chaotic Miami Sprint from Piastri and Hamilton after late Safety Car and multiple incidents

After a delay so conditions could improve, the race begin with a standing start with Verstappen gaining a position at the expense of polesitter Kimi Antonelli, who had gone wheel-to-wheel with Piastri at Turn 1 before running wide.

As the two McLarens pulled further away, Verstappen managed the gap behind to Antonelli and the second Mercedes of George Russell before drivers began making pit stops to switch from the quickly wearing intermediate tyres to slicks.

"The race itself was pretty boring, there was not much going on for me," said Verstappen afterwards.

"Just doing my own thing, seeing the McLarens disappear and just keeping the gap to the cars behind.

WATCH: Verstappen handed penalty for pit lane collision with Antonelli in eventful Miami Sprint

"I think the call to slicks was good, could have maybe risked it a bit more but in my position at that time, P3 you don't really need to do that in a Sprint."

Having been called into the pits, there was a moment of drama as Verstappen was released by his Red Bull mechanics straight into the path of Antonelli who was heading into his own pit box.

The Red Bull driver came to a halt momentarily after damaging his front wing before joining on the medium tyre, the combination of which meant he conceded a position on track to the Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton which was fitted with the soft compound.

Despite finishing fourth on-the-road, Verstappen was slapped with a 10-second penalty for the pit lane incident, which Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner described as "human error and we'll learn from it".

Verstappen added: "The pit stop, I mean it was super clear what happened, I don't even really need to explain. It's not what you want to see."

HIGHLIGHTS: Norris pips Piastri in incident-filled Miami Sprint with help from late Safety Car