Red flags prevented Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez from setting their fastest laps on soft tires in the second free practice of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, leaving both Red Bull Racing drivers taking unusually low positions in the protocol. The current world champion said that due to the low temperature the tires lack grip on the track.
Max Verstappen (17th): “The track is very slippery and we had serious problems getting the tires working, especially on the fast lap. We look more competitive in the long series, but there is still work to be done.
As I said, we are quite far behind in the fast lap. This is partly due to the unique circumstances: it is very cold here, but everyone is on equal footing. However, we need to understand what we can do.
The speed on this circuit largely depends on the performance of the tires. We don’t have any particular problems with the balance of the car, but the tires don’t grip the track enough – it feels like you’re driving on ice.”
Sergio Perez (19th): “I think we still have to work on our speed during a fast lap. In the long term things look more promising, but we have to work hard to get more out of the car because we are not in the positions we want to be in.
Today there were mainly balance problems at low speeds. We reduced the downforce on the rear wing, which made flying quite difficult. As I said, we need to improve the fast lap and I hope we can take a step in the right direction.
The most important day is race day. You can overtake on this track, so it is crucial that the car has a lot of speed.”
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
