F1 News: Max Verstappen Opens Up About Las Vegas GP Qualifying - "Tomorrow Is Going To Be Tough"

Max Verstappen shared his thoughts on the challenging Las Vegas GP qualifying, highlighting the circuit's slippery conditions and the importance of tyre management.

Max Verstappen, after securing third place in the qualifying round of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, shared his experiences of the challenging conditions. He noted the cold and slippery nature of the street circuit while expressing optimism about his race prospects.

The Dutch driver will move up to start from second position as Carlos Sainz has taken a ten-place grid penalty due to exceeding the allocated number of batteries in a season.

Key Takeaways:

• Verstappen described the Las Vegas circuit as cold and slippery, highlighting the difficulty of navigating close to the walls on a street circuit. 
• Acknowledging a lack of one-lap speed during the weekend, Verstappen remained optimistic about his race performance, particularly with respect to tyre management.
• Looking ahead to the race, Verstappen noted the good feeling from the previous day's practice and anticipated a challenging race, considering the possibility of Safety Cars and the long straight of the circuit, which could impact race dynamics significantly.

Max Verstappen's third-place finish in the qualifying round of the Las Vegas Grand Prix was a testament to his skill and adaptability in challenging conditions. The Red Bull Racing driver shared his thoughts on the experience during his post-qualifying interview:

"It's quite cold out there, quite slippery. Being on a street circuit, you try to get as close as you can to the walls, but that's not always very straightforward."

Despite the difficulties, Verstappen's outlook was positive. 

"It was enjoyable out there. I think we maximised today. I think the whole weekend so far we have been lacking a bit of one-lap performance, and that was quite clear," he reflected. 

"I hope tomorrow in the race we are good on the tyres again and can work our way forward."

Red Bull Press Image

Speaking about his race pace Verstappen noted that the Grand Prix will be tough tomorrow:

"It felt good yesterday. I would have liked to have a bit more pace today. The points are tomorrow and it's going to be a tough one.

"First one here, there might be Safety Cars and it's a very long straight, so there will be a lot of racing and I hope we are good on the tyres."