Red Bull rues lack of low-downforce wing in Vegas

Red Bull’s slogan is "gives you wings", but the Formula 1 team admits it wishes it had a different rear wing design in the luggage this weekend.

All Max Verstappen has to do to secure his fourth consecutive drivers’ title in Las Vegas is prevent McLaren’s Lando Norris from closing the gap by 3 points.

But it wasn’t a good start for the team on Thursday.

"In the first session we lost between six and nine tenths on all the straights," team advisor Dr Helmut Marko told ORF. "We don’t have wings that are as small as our competitors."

Team boss Christian Horner confirmed: "We simply don’t have a rear wing that is specifically designed for circuits with very little downforce. It costs a lot of money that then you only use it here and in Monza.

"We have modified the wing that we have here to make it smaller," he confirmed.

Indeed, Red Bull engineers and mechanics did what they could to trim the wing between the two sessions, including removing the gurney flap, but Verstappen then complained about very low grip.

"We have a lot of work to do if we want to keep up with the frontrunners, but it’s not just down to the wing," said Marko.

The Austrian is at least happy that it is Mercedes, rather than McLaren, setting the ultimate pace. "That could cost Norris more points," he said.

"But we have seen Mercedes do this a lot this season, so let’s see how it goes on Saturday. When there is more grip on the track, the balance of power can shift again."

Marko, 81, says Sergio Perez’s struggles this year have almost certainly cost Red Bull the constructors’ championship. "We have to see that Max wins the drivers’ title, then we’ll get over the loss of the constructors’ more easily," he said.

"Thank God there is still one more session to work on the car, but one thing is clear - a smaller wing, if we had one, would be the solution."

Verstappen made a clear step forward with his performance prior to qualifying on Saturday. "It was a very fast lap, but it was only one lap," Mercedes, Toto Wolff observed to Sky Italia.