Red Bull is facing significant challenges in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, as they are forced to contend with a rear wing configuration that is too drag-heavy for the high-speed nature of the Las Vegas circuit. This issue has left the team struggling to match the pace of their rivals, particularly Mercedes and McLaren, who have been performing at a higher level on the straights.
Max Verstappen, who leads the Formula 1 World Championship, ended up in a disappointing 17th place in second free practice on Thursday night. His teammate, Sergio Perez, was two places further down the order, highlighting Red Bull’s lack of performance in comparison to their competitors. Although part of the deficit can be attributed to engine settings and differing tyre strategies, GPS data revealed that Red Bull is losing up to 7 km/h on the straights compared to the front-running teams, Mercedes and McLaren.
The root cause of the issue lies in the rear wing setup that Red Bull brought to the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Unlike Mercedes and McLaren, Red Bull did not opt for a low-drag rear wing configuration, which would be better suited to the high-speed demands of the Las Vegas circuit. This oversight has left the team struggling to extract the maximum performance from their car.
Red Bull made several attempts to address the problem during practice, including removing a Gurney flap to improve aerodynamics. However, the team admitted that they are essentially stuck with the rear wing they have, as they do not have a smaller, low-drag version available to use. Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that they do not have another rear wing option, nor could they send a new wing from their Milton Keynes factory overnight. This leaves the team in a difficult position as they try to recover from this mistake.
Despite the aerodynamic setback, Marko believes that there is still potential for Red Bull to improve over the course of the weekend. While Verstappen and Perez's practice performance was far from ideal, Marko noted that there were moments of competitiveness in the short runs. However, long-run pace and tire wear proved to be more of a concern. The team experienced significant tire degradation during the longer runs, which could pose problems in the race, especially as tire wear will be crucial to managing race strategy.
Marko acknowledged that more balance is needed in the car to improve long-run performance and consistency. He expressed confidence that there is potential to find more lap time in qualifying, but the real challenge will be overcoming tire wear issues during the race. Despite the struggles in practice, Marko refused to write off the weekend entirely. He emphasized that much of the focus this weekend is on whether Verstappen can secure his fourth World Championship title, and Red Bull is still hopeful that they can turn things around before the race on Sunday.
While the team has faced setbacks, the situation is far from irreparable, and Red Bull will continue to push to make improvements in the coming sessions. As the weekend progresses, all eyes will be on whether Red Bull can recover from their rear wing issue and adapt to the unique challenges of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
