Red Bull stuck with wrong rear wing for Las Vegas GP
Red Bull stuck with wrong rear wing at Las Vegas GP
Red Bull claims a rear wing with too much grip left them lagging behind their Formula One rivals at the Las Vegas GP.
World championship leader Max Verstappen finished 17th in the second free practice session on Thursday night, with teammate Sergio Pérez second behind because of the Milton Keynes team’s lack of pace. While some of that performance deficit was due to engine tuning and a different tyre programme, Red Bull was not unaware that GPS data showed he was 7km/h slower on the straights than leaders Mercedes and McLaren.
Watch: How Hamilton’s performance stands up to ‘shelf life’ Comments – Reaction to Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix practice
That’s because he didn’t bring his rivals’ low-drag rear wing setup to Las Vegas Speedway. And while Red Bull has done everything it can to improve the situation, including removing Gurney’s shield, it has no other choice and must continue to fight with what it has.
“We don’t have a different or smaller rear wing like our competitors,” Red Bull Motorsport consultant Helmut Marko said. Of course, it is more convenient.
Marco said, “No,” when asked if the team could decrease from the factory to Milton Kins.
In addition to the appearance of the wings, Marco estimates that Red Bull actually shows, but he acknowledged that everything was not so cool.
Max Ferstapen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo: Jordan McKin -Motor Sports Image
He said, “In the short term, we didn’t go out on a sweet bus, and long races were only partially good,” he said. “I was competitive for a few laps and then the rear tyres just disappeared and I had a flash of speed. We just need to achieve consistency. »
But Marko believes that in terms of single lap pace the lap times are still up, but the deterioration over longer distances means that things could get even tougher in the race.
“We need more balance,” he said. “You can improve your result in one lap, but in the long term, tyre wear is now an issue. »
But he refused to believe the weekend was a lose-lose as Verstappen was focused and preparing to win his fourth world title here.
