Verstappen voices concern after night and day Las Vegas GP Friday

07:35, 21 Nov

bySamson Ero

Max Verstappen has tempered expectations regarding Red Bull Racing’s chances of a dominant race weekend after a disrupted second practice session in Las Vegas.

“We still need to improve a little to find more grip out there.”

- Max Verstappen

The Dutch driver, who continues his charge towards a fifth consecutive title, was quick to play down the possibility of his team’s dominance around the Vegas Strip, highlighting the need for improvement, particularly regarding the car’s grip.

Speaking via Sky Sports after a tricky second practice session, Verstappen said:

"It's just difficult to understand what to do with the interruptions. We still need to improve a little to find more grip out there.”

"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."

Max Verstappen during free practice at the Las Vegas GP - Photo: RacePictures.

Verstappen and the Red Bull team were among the front-runners during the first session of Friday’s outing, clocking the fourth-fastest time, just behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

However, the Milton Keynes-based outfit were far off the pace during FP2, with Verstappen in ninth place and Tsunoda only quick enough for 15th.

Verstappen on Red Bull replicating its low-downforce track performance

Verstappen was also less optimistic about Red Bull replicating its performance on low-downforce tracks at the Las Vegas GP.

The four-time world champion revealed there is no guarantee the team will dominate on the Vegas street circuit as it had on other tracks with similar characteristics.

"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,” he concluded.

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