F1 News: Max Verstappen Offers Damning Verdict On 'Handicap' Rear Wing For Las Vegas GP

Saajan Jogia | 4 Hours Ago

Nov 21, 2024; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Oracle Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen of The Netherlands (1) drives during practice for the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix at Las Vegas Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has given a damning verdict about the RB20's new trimmed wing, which he says is 'a bit of a handicap' with the DRS. Consequently, Verstappen revealed that the RB20 lost top speed by quite a margin, which led him to secure P5 in Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying.

The qualifying session saw another Mercedes top the timesheet after dominating practice, but this time it was George Russell who managed to squeeze in another best lap toward the end of Q3. Unfortunately, the same could not be said about Lewis Hamilton who had a moment in his final run, which prevented him from going above P10.

While Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Alpine's Pierre Gasly secured P2 and P3, Verstappen managed P5 due to his rear wing. However, he was able to get the tires up to the right operating temperature, which could be advantageous in his pursuit of a fourth championship victory in the Grand Prix. Speaking about the challenges he anticipates for the race on the Strip, he said:

"We know that with our wing, you naturally lose top speed, especially with the DRS open, it is a bit of a handicap, we know that.

"It is something we have to deal with on a track like this, like Monza, but besides that, I felt like with the tyres we were going to struggle to get them into the right operating window - and we did the best we could with what we had and got a bit lucky with Lewis not putting a lap in, otherwise it would have been P6.

"We optimised as a team, but it is still too slow, but half of it is on the straight.

"The wing is not the most efficient but hopefully with everyone close in DRS, it is a little better, but when you trim the DRS, you have less of a DRS effect - and that is what is painful in qualifying. 

"It will be difficult, but hopefully we are decent on tyres and we made some changes that will help the tyres as well."

Addressing the rear wing speculation, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner clarified after free practice that the team had not forgotten to bring a low-downforce rear wing for the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Horner made the statement following reports claiming Red Bull had forgotten the wing entirely. He explained that, due to cost cap constraints, the team does not have a dedicated rear wing specifically designed for street circuits. Instead, it relies on a trimmed version of its existing wing to suit such conditions.