It was difficult to expect more from Red Bull in qualifying after a complicated start to the weekend for the Austrian team. On the Strip, the RB20 is penalized by a rear wing whose specificity harms its speed in a straight line. On a circuit like the one traced in the streets of the City of Vice, it is prohibitive in the exercise of the flying lap.
Max Verstappen thus settled for fifth place in qualifying, while his teammate Sergio Pérez was once again eliminated in Q1 this year, with a poor 16th place on the starting grid. “ We're just a little too slow, we had trouble getting the tires to work for one lap, and we're also too slow on the straights, especially in qualifying “, Verstappen said after qualifying.
The Austrian team has however worked to plan part of its rear wing, to the detriment of the effectiveness of its DRS. “ You can see it's been shortened a lot around the DRS pane, so when we open that one we don't get the same ones as the others, which makes things a little more complicated here. It's our fault, we know it, it's a compromise we have, but nonetheless I tried to do my best », Explains the three-time world champion.
For the race, the deficit of the wing worries Verstappen less than the degradation of the tires. “ I think tomorrow the wing will be a bit more normal, because usually you don't use DRS every lap, so it's less of a problem. The question mark is how the tires are going to perform for us, because for me at least, on my side, my two long stints weren't particularly good. I hope it will be a little better in the race, but we will see. »
The driver of the No. 1 considers that third place on the grid, won by an astonishing Pierre Gasly (Alpine) was playable: “ It was quite close for P3, small details that could have been improved a little perhaps, but overall I'm happy with the laps. » This Sunday (Saturday evening in Las Vegas) he will share the third row with his runner-up in the championship, Lando Norris (McLaren). If he does not concede more than two points to the Briton, the Dutchman will be crowned world champion for a fourth time this weekend.
The start of the event will be at 7 a.m. (French time) this Sunday. The Grand Prix will be followed live with commentary on AUTOhebdo.fr.
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