Speaking after a wet qualifying session in Las Vegas, Verstappen said the lack of long distance running in dry conditions has made Sunday’s grand prix a bit of an unknown quantity.

He will start in P2 behind polesitter Lando Norris, who will hope to convert his third pole position in a row into a victory in Las Vegas.

When asked whether he is confident in the RB21’s dry pace on Saturday Verstappen said: “It's a bit difficult to say. We didn’t really do any proper long running. In FP1 I did a little bit, which was not entirely to my liking.

After showers blighted FP3 and qualifying on Friday, dry weather is expected for Saturday night’s race under the Las Vegas lights.

Despite fears of rain interruptions heading into the weekend, FP1 and FP2 both took place under dry conditions. However, the latter session was disrupted by a loose manhole cover which brought out the red flag after 20 minutes and disrupted many of the teams’ long run simulations.

Lando Norris will lead from pole on Saturday and will hope to extend his 24-point championship lead over teammate Oscar Piastri, who starts only P5 in Las Vegas.

Should Norris outscore Verstappen by 10 points or more, the Dutchman will be mathematically out contention for this year's title and forced to relinquish his crown.

Speaking after qualifying Norris said he looks forward to a tight battle for victory and will not be playing the percentage game in his championship fight.

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