Max Verstappen‘s not feeling confident about Red Bull’s race pace in Las Vegas after a chaotic weekend of rain and red flags.
“It’s a bit difficult to say. We didn’t really do any proper long running,” Verstappen admitted after Saturday’s wet qualifying session.
The three-time world champion will start from P2 on the grid, just behind Lando Norris who claimed his third consecutive pole position.
When asked about his car’s performance in dry conditions, Verstappen couldn’t offer much certainty.
“In FP1 I did a little bit, which was not entirely to my liking,” he explained.
“So I hope with the changes we’ve made since then that it will be a little bit better.”
But he’s keeping expectations in check.
“I’m not expecting it to be amazing. I hope we have a chance to do well.”
Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions were hampered by unexpected showers, even forcing teams to use the rarely-seen extreme wet tires during qualifying.
The good news? Saturday night’s race under the Vegas lights is expected to be dry.
The weekend hasn’t gone smoothly for any team. While Thursday’s FP1 and FP2 sessions stayed dry, the second session was cut short when a loose manhole cover triggered a red flag just 20 minutes in. This disruption prevented teams from completing their planned long-run simulations.
## Close battle expected on race day
Norris enters the race with a 24-point championship lead over his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, who’ll start from P5.
There’s a lot at stake for Verstappen too. If Norris outscores him by 10 points or more, the Dutchman will mathematically lose any chance at defending his world title.
Despite the championship implications, Norris isn’t planning to play it safe. After qualifying, he made it clear he’s looking forward to a tight battle for victory rather than driving cautiously to protect his points advantage.
The stage is set for what could be a dramatic showdown in Sin City.
