After a challenging first day of practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, Max Verstappen admitted that Red Bull’s one-lap pace was “quite far off” what they expect, as the reigning world champion ended Thursday’s session in 17th position—a stark contrast to his usual dominance.
Struggles with Tyre Performance
Verstappen’s woes began in FP2, where a red flag caused by Alex Albon’s Williams prevented him from improving on his time. The Dutch driver, who posted a lap on soft tyres just before the interruption, finished two seconds behind the fastest time set by Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes. Reflecting on his difficulties, Verstappen said: “Yeah, [it was] slippery. We struggled a lot with making the tyres work, especially over one lap. The long run started off a bit more competitive, but even there I think we need to fine-tune a few things. The one-lap pace is quite far off.”
The cold conditions in Las Vegas added a unique challenge to the session, but Verstappen acknowledged that all teams were dealing with the same obstacles.
Tyre Issues and Grip Concerns
Verstappen further revealed that the team’s struggles were primarily related to tyre performance. He explained: “It’s like driving on ice at the moment… we have no grip.”
Although the car’s balance didn’t seem to be a major issue, Verstappen felt the lack of grip was a critical factor in their disappointing performance. He emphasized the need for the team to understand and address what was going wrong.
Perez Echoes Verstappen’s Concerns
It wasn’t just Verstappen facing difficulties on the Las Vegas track. His teammate Sergio Perez also struggled, especially with one-lap performance, but felt more optimistic about the car’s potential over long runs. Perez commented: “We’ve got some work to do over one lap… but the long run looked a little bit more promising.”
He acknowledged that the team needed to improve their performance, particularly on single-lap pace, as qualifying and race setup would be crucial. Perez pointed out issues with the balance of the car, particularly in low-speed corners, where the rear of the car was stepping out. He added: “We’ve come down a lot with the rear wing and it made it quite tricky in the low speed.”
Red Bull’s Title Chase
Despite these struggles, Verstappen remains in a strong position in the drivers’ standings, holding a 62-point lead over Lando Norris. This gives him the chance to secure the title in Las Vegas. However, Red Bull is currently in third place in the constructors’ standings, behind Ferrari and McLaren, adding extra pressure to perform well in the remaining sessions.
