Max Verstappen was left unsure of Red Bull’s true pace after the opening two free practice sessions for Formula 1‘s Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Dutchman came fourth in FP1, just behind team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, around three tenths off Charles Leclerc’s first-place time.
FP2 saw Verstappen finished half a second off Lando Norris’ time in ninth, after a session halted twice by red flags caused by a manhole cover loosening off the tarmac.
George Russell, last year’s winner in Sin City, indicated on Wednesday that Red Bull was very much in the mix for victory, and perhaps stronger than McLaren.
But Verstappen was left at a loss after practice as to where the RB21 lies amongst its rivals with race day fast approaching.
“It’s just difficult to understand what to do with the interruptions,” he told Sky Sports F1. “We still need to improve a little to find more grip out there.”
The low-downforce Las Vegas Strip Circuit is one of the most unique on the F1 calendar, owing to its cooler-than-average track temperature.
This will have put teams into a position of extreme experimentation with compounds in practice, hoping to find a sweet spot on which to maximise for qualifying and the race.
Verstappen recognised that the cold weather and the low grip nature of the circuit render logic of some teams’ form on similar circuits irrelevant, believing that there is no guarantee a team that would be fast on paper will still be so on tarmac.
“The track is improving quite a bit every session, so we will focus on that to see how we manage the tyres in qualifying and the race.”
“It’s a lot colder here, and the surface is very slippery, so you cannot compare it to other tracks just because it’s low downforce. It’s not a given that you will be quick here,”
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