Max Verstappen jokes he was “quite high” while driving his Red Bull as the smell of weed continues to torment the Las Vegas paddock

After Franco Colapinto and Sergio Perez, the triple-world champion Max Verstappen has complained about the smell of Marijuana in the Las Vegas paddock. The Red Bull Racing driver joked about the peculiar scent during the mandatory media interaction after the qualifying session.

Despite starting 17th in the rain-soaked Brazilian Grand Prix, Verstappen went on to win the race at Interlagos. The Dutchman showcased his mastery over wet conditions, thereby extending the lead over his title rival Lando Norris, who finished sixth despite starting the race in pole position.

With a more compliant RB20 race car, the Red Bull driver is likely hoping to win his fourth championship in Las Vegas. However, unfavorable conditions meant that Verstappen qualified in fifth position for the race. During the post-qualifying press interaction, Verstappen joked about feeling intoxicated by the smell of weed during qualifying.

"Today you smelled it quite well. I was quite high in the car! It's not ideal, because you can also smell it while driving and it's quite extreme," Verstappen said (as reported by the Dutch publication Telegraaf).

His statement was shared on X by a Formula 1 fan page. Here's a look at the post, captioned:

"Max Verstappen on the smell of weed around the track in Las Vegas"

Unlike in several European countries, weed is a legal substance in the state of Nevada. While it is prohibited in the venue, several fans seem to have figured out a way of getting it past the security near the 3.85-mile-long street circuit.

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"I tried to do the best I could" - 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix winner Max Verstappen on struggling during qualifying

Reigning world champion Max Verstappen is likely looking forward to winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix this weekend. Despite best efforts, the Red Bull Racing driver was only able to qualify fifth for the race on Saturday, November 23.

During a media interaction after the Qualifying session, Verstappen spoke about the struggles of setting pace around the street circuit.

"I mean we’re just a bit too slow, 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. You can see our rear wing, it’s trimmed down quite a lot, around the DRS flap, so when we open DRS we don’t get the gains like others do, so that makes it a bit more complicated around here," he said.

"But that’s our own fault, we know that, that’s a compromise we have, but nevertheless I tried to do the best I could. It was quite close for P3, little details that could have been a bit better maybe, but overall I’m happy with the laps, was not much more in it," Verstappen added.

With a gap of 62 points between him and title rival Lando Norris, Verstappen is in a position to win his fourth driver's title. He will thus be looking forward to maximizing the results during the Grand Prix.