Max Verstappen finished the opening day of practice in Las Vegas with a reserved outlook despite signs that the RB21 suits the characteristics of the street circuit. He trails Lando Norris by forty nine points in the championship and needs a strong result to retain any realistic chance of defending his title. The circuit layout suggests competitive potential for Red Bull due to its long straights and low downforce requirements. Even so, Verstappen warned that the freezing temperatures and slippery tarmac create conditions that cannot be compared directly with other low downforce venues such as Monza or Baku.
Verstappen described the car balance as fair but held back from drawing conclusions. He stated that the cold surface reduces grip and adds unpredictability to each session. The first practice session saw him finish fourth, behind teammate Yuki Tsunoda, with Charles Leclerc topping the times. The second session was disrupted by two red flags after a manhole cover incident. These interruptions prevented several teams from completing soft tyre qualifying runs.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko expressed little concern about the headline times. He noted that Verstappen did not record a representative lap on the softest compound and emphasised the need to understand fuel levels and engine modes used by rivals. Marko said that internal data shows Red Bull among the fastest teams on softs once conditions stabilise. The soft compound is expected to deliver around half a second improvement, roughly matching the gap to Norris in FP2.
Giampiero Lambiase, Red Bull’s head of race engineering, identified tyre temperature as the decisive factor for both qualifying and race performance. The unusually cold conditions make it difficult to reach the correct operating window, and the performance swings are significant once the tyres reach temperature. Verstappen said the team must focus on improving grip and understanding the tyre behaviour as the track evolves across the weekend.
Long run data is limited so far. Lambiase confirmed that neither session provided enough continuous laps to analyse race pace or fuel-adjusted gaps. This leaves teams with incomplete information as they prepare for qualifying. Verstappen acknowledged that the weekend demands a clean execution, especially given his championship position.
The first day ultimately offered little clarity. Norris ended FP2 with the fastest time, while the general performance picture remains uncertain due to the shortened sessions. FP3 begins on November 22 at 9:30 a.m. Japan time, followed by qualifying at 1 p.m. on the Las Vegas street circuit.
