diff --git a/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/bsutil/kverify/api_server.go b/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/bsutil/kverify/api_server.go
index 39c29a1640..2efde14637 100644
--- a/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/bsutil/kverify/api_server.go
+++ b/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/bsutil/kverify/api_server.go
@@ -143,6 +143,22 @@ func APIServerVersionMatch(client *kubernetes.Clientset, expected string) error
 	return nil
 }
 
+// WaitForAPIServerStatus waits for 'to' duration to get apiserver pod running or stopped
+// this functions is intended to use in situations where apiserver process can be recreated
+// by container runtime restart for example and there is a gap before it comes back
+func WaitForAPIServerStatus(cr command.Runner, to time.Duration, hostname string, port int) (state.State, error) {
+	var st state.State
+	var err error
+	err = wait.PollImmediate(200*time.Millisecond, to, func() (bool, error) {
+		st, err := APIServerStatus(cr, hostname, port)
+		if st == state.Stopped {
+			return false, nil
+		}
+		return true, err
+	})
+	return st, err
+}
+
 // APIServerStatus returns apiserver status in libmachine style state.State
 func APIServerStatus(cr command.Runner, hostname string, port int) (state.State, error) {
 	klog.Infof("Checking apiserver status ...")
diff --git a/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/kubeadm/kubeadm.go b/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/kubeadm/kubeadm.go
index 6ef909ffad..0c7b4b2274 100644
--- a/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/kubeadm/kubeadm.go
+++ b/pkg/minikube/bootstrapper/kubeadm/kubeadm.go
@@ -569,15 +569,8 @@ func (k *Bootstrapper) needsReconfigure(conf string, hostname string, port int,
 		return true
 	}
 	// cruntime.Enable() may restart kube-apiserver but does not wait for it to return back
-	var st state.State
-	err := wait.PollImmediate(500*time.Millisecond, 3*time.Second, func() (bool, error) {
-		var ierr error
-		st, ierr = kverify.APIServerStatus(k.c, hostname, port)
-		if st == state.Stopped {
-			return false, nil
-		}
-		return true, ierr
-	})
+	apiStatusTimeout := 1500 * time.Millisecond
+	st, err := kverify.WaitForAPIServerStatus(k.c, apiStatusTimeout, hostname, port)
 	if err != nil {
 		klog.Infof("needs reconfigure: apiserver error: %v", err)
 		return true