Max Verstappen shocked fans and analysts alike with his candid admission following a challenging qualifying session for the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he could only secure fifth place on the grid. The reigning champion, who is eyeing his fourth consecutive world title, highlighted fundamental issues with Red Bull’s performance on the iconic Las Vegas streets.
“We’re just a bit too slow,” Verstappen admitted. “We have been struggling to get the tyres to work over a lap, and we are too slow on the straights as well, especially in qualifying.”
The Dutch driver pinpointed Red Bull’s rear wing setup as a key factor behind their lack of top-end speed, particularly in utilizing the DRS (Drag Reduction System) along the circuit’s lengthy straights.
“You can see our rear wing, it’s trimmed down quite a lot, around the DRS flap,” he explained. “When we open DRS, we don’t get the gains like others do, so that makes it a bit more complicated around here. But that’s our own fault; we know that. It’s a compromise we have.”
Despite the difficulties, Verstappen remained composed about his performance, adding, “Overall, I’m happy with the laps. There was not much more in it.”
Verstappen will start alongside Lando Norris on the third row, with his championship hopes still intact. He will secure the title if Norris fails to outscore him by three or more points in the race.
Looking ahead, Verstappen expressed cautious optimism that Red Bull’s struggles might ease during the race. “I think tomorrow the wing hopefully is a little bit more normal because usually, you don’t use the DRS every lap, so it’s less of an issue,” he said.
However, he remained wary about tyre behavior: “It’s a bit of a question mark, how the tyres are going to behave for us. On my side, both of my long runs were not particularly great. I hope tomorrow is going to be a little bit better, but we’ll see.”
As the Las Vegas Grand Prix approaches, all eyes will be on Verstappen to see if he can overcome Red Bull’s setbacks and add another historic victory to his already stellar career.
