The Friday practice sessions at the Las Vegas Grand Prix will be remembered mainly for the large number of red flags. The stoppages – triggered as a precaution due to issues with improperly secured manhole covers on the street circuit – created major complications for both teams and drivers. Helmut Marko, the long-time Red Bull advisor, spoke to Sky Deutschland and did not hide his frustration over the limited track time.
Too many interruptions
“We couldn’t even test the soft tyres,” said the Austrian executive from Graz. “If the third practice session is dry, we will be able to make up for it. But which tyre will actually work best – the medium or the hard – remains a mystery. I think we would have been among the fastest with the softs. That compound normally gives you around half a second per lap, and in that case we would have been near the front. But apart from that, it’s hard to say. We wanted to complete a long run on the mediums or the hards, but it simply wasn’t possible.” – the Red Bull advisor pointed out at the end of the second free practice session for the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Weather concerns
Another concern for Helmut Marko is the possibility of rain in the coming hours, which could wipe out even the limited information gathered so far. He explained: “Let’s see what tomorrow brings. Rain is forecast for tonight, and here in Las Vegas there are barely any support series running. If it rains this evening, all the grip we had today will be washed away, and it will turn into some kind of lottery.”
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