Verstappen: Red Bull ‘throws away two races’ with rear wing decision

Max Verstappen feels Red Bull has left itself exposed at races requiring low-downforce set-up without a dedicated rear wing

Max Verstappen said Red Bull “throw away two race weekends” by not having a specific low-drag rear wing like some of its Formula 1 rivals as it suffered “in the corners and on the straights” in Las Vegas.

Red Bull lacked straightline speed compared to its rivals during practice, with GPS data showing it to be 7km/h down on the straights compared to Mercedes and McLaren, which led to focus on adjusting its rear wing to reduce drag.

In qualifying Verstappen’s top-speed deficit shrunk across the key splits, but the Dutch driver still felt his RB20 lacked performance to its direct rivals without a specific low-drag rear wing - something chief rival McLaren's Lando Norris has in his armoury.

Verstappen, who qualified fifth and directly ahead of Norris, explained that Red Bull doesn’t have a low-drag rear wing that is suited to high-speed circuits like Las Vegas and Monza due to calls influenced by the budget cap – but feels it is a decision that needs revising.

“We opted to not make one, we don't have one,” Verstappen said about a Red Bull low-drag rear wing. “So this is already from 2022, I think we just never thought we would run it that low. And then with the budget cap, you choose your priorities and we shifted that.

“We would have liked to have a lower wing, a lower-downforce wing, or at least a different shape, a more efficient shape.

“It's something I will look at but, on the other hand, there's only one more year left with these rules, and I don't know if it makes sense.

“But for me at least, it feels a bit like we throw away two race weekends like this because you definitely lose too much on the straights.”

With the exception of his mechanical DNF in Australia, Verstappen suffered his joint-worst result of the season at Monza in September with sixth, and feels a similar outcome is likely in Las Vegas.

When asked where he felt he was losing time, Verstappen said: “In the corners and on the straights. We know that with our wing naturally you lose top speed, especially with the DRS open. It's a bit of a handicap.

“We knew that and that's something that we have to deal with on a track like this track, like Monza. But also besides that, I always felt like the tyres were a bit of a struggle for us to get them in the right operating window.

“I do think that we did the best we could in qualifying with what we had, and then P5 is the result. We got a bit lucky because with Lewis not putting a lap in, otherwise it would have been P6. I think we really maximised what we could.”

Despite his frustrations, Verstappen is on the cusp of sealing a fourth consecutive title knowing that if he keeps Norris behind him he will clinch the crown on Saturday night local time. 

But the 27-year-old has kept a level head about the situation going into the race: “It's nice today but it's more important tomorrow.”