Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko expressed regret over the timing mistake that saw Max Verstappen sent out too early for his final qualifying lap. Max Verstappen encountered traffic, losing the chance to fight for pole position. Tomorrow, however, the Dutch driver will have nothing to lose, while Lando Norris will have to defend his advantage.
Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen in the Las Vegas Grand Prix qualifying, taking pole for tomorrow’s race. The two drivers, however, will start side by side, separated by just a few meters.
Despite this, Helmut Marko admitted he was disappointed with the result, as he believed it would have been possible to fight for pole even on the Nevada street circuit.
The key issue, according to the Red Bull advisor, was the mistimed release of Verstappen for his final attempt, which coincided with the track being at its peak grip conditions compared to earlier laps.
“I think this qualifying was admirable for the drivers. Except for Alex Albon, nobody crashed and the conditions were extremely difficult. After Q1 and Q2, honestly we expected pole, but the timing of sending Max out didn’t help,” said Helmut Marko.
“We got the last lap wrong. The conditions were ideal and even our tyre-cooling strategy didn’t work. But in terms of pace, pole would have been possible.”
“What didn’t help Max was the traffic. You have to ensure the driver has the cleanest lap possible. We perhaps went out on track a little too early.”
The biggest unknown for tomorrow’s race is the lack of data on long runs. Due to the dirty track and rain, no team has run proper stints, and even the Hard tyres haven’t been fully tested. On a track like Las Vegas, the risk of graining is always present. That’s why the uncertainty over long runs could make for an exciting race.
“No one did a long run, so we don’t know what the pace will be on a dry track. It will be fun and exciting, also in terms of tyre strategy. We have nothing to lose. We will take risks, whereas Lando will have to play it safe. We went for a setup suited for dry conditions. We can adjust the front wing, but otherwise it’s a dry setup,” Helmut Marko concluded.
While the Austrian manager gave his perspective on Max Verstappen’s qualifying, The Dutch driver himself focused on extracting maximum performance from the RB21. After the session, he said: “Grip was low and it’s difficult to maintain pace, avoid mistakes, and also keep the tyres in the right operating window. But we did well, we made the most of what the car could give us.”
McLaren opted for a higher downforce setup this weekend. However, Max noted that no team chose extreme setups. Managing the tyres carefully and avoiding graining will be crucial.
“Downforce is similar among the cars; no one has extremely high or low downforce. I think the difference will come from who can preserve the tyres best and manage graining. Also being fast on the Hards, because they will be the most used tyres in the race. Realistically it will be hard to win, but I’m not thinking too much about that. Maybe we’ll do well on the Hards, and if an opportunity arises we’ll try to seize it. Otherwise, that will be it.”
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