Max Verstappen finished behind his great World Cup rival Lando Norris in qualifying for the Las Vegas Grand Prix (Sunday, from 4:30 a.m. live on RTL). Red Bull motorsport consultant Dr. According to Helmut Marko, the performance should have been enough for pole position despite the difficult conditions.
A small wrong decision may have cost Max Verstappen pole position in the demanding qualifying in Las Vegas, suggested Red Bull motorsport consultant Dr. Helmut Marko in an analysis. “Maybe we went out a bit too early,” said the Austrian on “Sky” after the close battle shortly before the end in Q3.
“After Q1 and Q2 we actually expected pole position, but the timing didn’t work out,” summarized Marko. “We missed the last lap, just like Lando (Norris, editor’s note) did. The conditions were best there and our tire cooling maneuver didn’t work properly either.” Ultimately, all the “traffic” prevented Verstappen from achieving a better time: “You have to make sure that you have a reasonably free lap.”
Marko announces: “We will take risks”
When asked whether the car’s performance would have been enough for first place, Marko clarified: “It would have been possible, yes.” Ultimately, Max Verstappen was 0.323 seconds behind the championship leader, who had a clear run on his last lap.
The changing weather conditions demanded a lot from the drivers in the gambling metropolis. “There was a lot going on, but admiration for all the drivers! Apart from Albon, nobody had a crash and the conditions were really very difficult,” Marko praised the field of drivers.
He expects for the race on Sunday (from 4:30 a.m. live on RTL) a hot duel between Verstappen and Norris. “It will be exciting, also with the choice of tires. But we have nothing to lose. We will take risks and Lando should actually play it safe.” Red Bull is preparing for a “dry vote” due to the possible rising temperatures.