Max Verstappen expressed frustration with his Red Bull car, describing it as feeling like driving on ice during practice for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Entering the weekend with hopes of securing a fourth world title, Verstappen’s fifth and 17th place finishes in practice indicated challenges ahead. A soft-tyre lap before Alex Albon’s red flag incident left Verstappen unable to improve his time, trailing two seconds behind Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes.
Verstappen attributed his struggles to the cold temperatures affecting tyre performance. “For me, it feels massively tyre-related. The balance of the car is not even wrong, I think,” he said. “We just have no grip, like driving on ice at the moment.” He noted that while long runs started more competitively, improvements were still needed for one-lap pace.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton was surprised by Mercedes’ strong showing after a disappointing performance in Interlagos. Topping both practice sessions, Hamilton clocked the fastest lap despite drivers struggling on the low-grip track. His teammate George Russell also impressed with P2 and P3 finishes, suggesting Mercedes might be leading this weekend.
“I mean that’s the first time I’ve had a day like that this year,” Hamilton remarked. “The car was feeling generally good in FP1, in FP2 less so.” He acknowledged uncertainty about their position but enjoyed driving the track and hoped for consistent performance in upcoming sessions.
Red Bull faced challenges with speed traps due to an incorrect rear wing setup, as revealed by Helmut Marko. This misstep placed them at a disadvantage compared to their rivals. Despite these issues, Verstappen remained focused on understanding and resolving their tyre-related problems.
The unique conditions of the Las Vegas track added complexity to tyre management for all teams. Verstappen acknowledged this challenge but emphasised the need to identify what they were doing wrong to improve performance.
The race weekend continues with teams working overnight to optimise race pace without sacrificing lap speed. As drivers adapt to the cold and low-grip conditions, competition remains fierce among top contenders aiming for victory.
