“That’s something we have to deal with”: Max Verstappen identifies culprits behind disappointing Las Vegas GP qualifying

Max Verstappen attributed Red Bull’s struggles in Las Vegas qualifying to a subpar rear wing on the RB20. Speaking to media, including Sportskeeda, the Dutchman highlighted the car’s lack of suitability for low-downforce circuits like Las Vegas and Monza.

Red Bull’s compromised rear wing design hindered both cars, particularly on the straights, throughout practice and qualifying. Verstappen qualified fifth, four-tenths of a second behind pole-sitter George Russell. Despite the challenges, he viewed fifth as a fortunate result, given that Lewis Hamilton failed to improve and qualified tenth.

The three-time world champion noted that the RB20 struggled in both corners and straights, especially with the DRS flap open during qualifying, which typically boosts performance. While Red Bull lagged over a second behind its rivals during practice, Verstappen acknowledged that their qualifying pace marked a slight improvement. Both Mercedes cars, however, remained strong throughout the weekend.

Asked by Sportskeeda where he lost lap time around the Las Vegas GP circuit, Verstappen said:

“In the corners and on the straights. So, yeah. We know that with our wing, naturally you lose top speed, especially with the DRS open. Yeah, it's a bit of a handicap, but we knew that. And that's something of course that we have to deal with on a track like this, a track like Monza. But also besides that I always felt like the tyres were a bit of a struggle for us, to get them in the right operating window. I do think that we did the best we could in qualifying what we had and then P5 is the result. I mean we got a bit lucky of course with Lewis not putting a lap in, otherwise it would have been P6 but yeah I think we really maximised what we could.”

Asked if he was pleased with the progress made by the car in qualifying compared to the practice sessions, he said:

“Yeah, I mean yes, I think we were more than a second off and today that's a little bit less. I also really feel like yeah, we optimized it as a team.But of course its still too slow, but I think already more than half of that is already just on the straights. So that is just something that there's yeah, nothing that you can do.”

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Max Verstappen suggests Red Bull did not make a low downforce wing for the Las Vegas GP

Max Verstappen revealed that Red Bull did not develop a low-downforce rear wing for the RB20 in 2024, leaving the team reliant on a design from 2022. Speaking to the media, the Dutchman explained that the team had underestimated the need for extremely low downforce levels at circuits like Las Vegas. He acknowledged that an updated wing would have improved their performance but pointed to the budget cap as a limiting factor.

Since the Miami GP, Red Bull has focused on addressing issues with the RB20, but the budget cap has significantly restricted its rate of development. Verstappen acknowledged the challenges, highlighting how the financial constraints have further complicated the team’s ability to adapt to varying circuit demands.

Asked if not having an ideal rear wing was a consequence of the team’s focus on fixing problems on its car throughout the season, Verstappen said:

“No we just opted to not make one we don't have one. So this is already from 2022 I think we just never thought that we don't have one. So this is already from 2022, I think we just never thought that we would run at that low and then with the budget cap, yeah, you choose your priorities and we shifted that. Would I have liked to have a lower wing and lower downforce wing? Yeah for sure, or at least a different shape, a more efficient shape. But it's something that we’ll look at but at the other hand you know, there's only one more year left with these rules and I don't know if it makes sense. But for me at least it feels a bit like you know, we throw away two racer weekends like this, because you definitely lose too much on this race.”

Max Verstappen leads the championship by 62 points and is poised to secure his fourth title this weekend. To clinch the drivers’ championship in Las Vegas, the Dutchman needs to finish ahead of his title rival, Lando Norris, who starts sixth on the grid, one position behind Verstappen. In the constructors’ standings, Red Bull sits third, trailing Ferrari by 13 points and McLaren by 49 points as the season nears its conclusion.