Red Bull driver Max Verstappen failed to find traction during the Las Vegas Grand Prix practice, suggesting the problem was not with the balance of his RB20 F1 car, but with the tires. Adding to the team’s problems this weekend was the fact that they did not bring the appropriate low-downforce rear wing for the street circuit.

Although the Dutchman has every chance of winning his fourth title in Las Vegas, the low level of grip on a dusty and cold track caused him to struggle with the car’s handling. He finished fifth in FP1 but dropped massively to 17th in FP2.

First place in both practice sessions was secured by Lewis Hamilton, but the conditions saw most drivers struggling for grip. For Verstappen, however, he described the feeling as “driving on ice”. The championship leader said:

“It was slippery, we had a lot of difficulty getting the tires to work over a lap and especially over the long run.

“We started a little more competitive, but even then we had to tweak a few things, but the pace over one lap is quite far, but of course it’s unique conditions, but it’s the same for everyone world. .

“We need to understand what we are doing wrong, but it seems strongly linked to the tires because the balance of the car is not even bad.

“It’s just we don’t have any grip, it’s like driving on ice right now.”

Red Bull faces a crucial task to secure Verstappen’s fourth consecutive F1 drivers’ championship title this weekend. While Verstappen holds a 62-point lead over Lando Norris, he must maintain at least a 60-point lead after the Las Vegas Grand Prix to clinch the title.

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko revealed further challenges for the team, confirming they did not bring the optimal low-downforce rear wing to Las Vegas and ruling out the possibility of shipping one. This oversight left both Red Bull cars around 7km/h slower than their rivals in straight line speed. He said:

“We don’t have another rear wing, a smaller rear wing, like we see from our competitors. It would be more useful, that’s for sure.”

Speaking about the team’s surprising run in FP2, the 81-year-old advisor explained:

“In the short stint we didn’t run on soft tires, and the long stint was only partly good.

“Some laps were competitive, but then the rear tires would disappear.

“There have been flashes of speed. You just have to be consistent.”

Marko added:

“We need more balance.

“On one lap we can improve. But in the long term, tire wear is a problem at the moment.

“Tomorrow is another day.

“You may have seen it many times, people will be the fastest on Friday or Thursday, but that doesn’t mean they are fast in the race…

“We will definitely take a reasonable step.”