Max Verstappen described his Red Bull as feeling like “driving on ice” after struggling with pace on Friday at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. He ended second practice in 17th place, having not run on soft tires like the other leading drivers, with Lewis Hamilton topping the timesheets ahead of Lando Norris.

The reigning world champion abandoned his first qualifying simulation and, on his next attempt, was about eight-tenths slower than Hamilton after the second sector when a red flag was triggered due to Alex Albon’s disabled Williams.

Verstappen could clinch the title in Sunday’s Las Vegas race at 6am, live on Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports Main Event, if he finishes ahead of Norris.

“We struggled a lot with getting the tyres to work over one lap. The long runs were more competitive initially, but we still need to fine-tune a few things. The one-lap pace, however, is quite far off,” Verstappen said.

“The conditions are the same for everyone. We just need to figure out what we’re doing wrong right now,” Verstappen added.

Red Bull were losing time in the speed traps, and Helmut Marko revealed that the team has the wrong rear wing, putting them at a disadvantage.

Verstappen believes the cooler Las Vegas temperatures, the coldest of the year in F1 with an air temperature around 12°C, are a major factor in Red Bull’s lack of pace.

“For me, it feels mostly tyre-related. I don’t think the car’s balance is that far off,” he explained. “We just have no grip—it’s like driving on ice right now.”

“There’s a good amount of time to work on it. Two halves really—good low fuel pace, but difficult high fuel,” Norris explained.

Norris crashed out at high speed during last year’s Las Vegas Grand Prix, which was one of McLaren’s tougher weekends in 2023.

He also echoed Verstappen’s concerns about the low grip, saying, “It’s just very difficult, super low grip. I feel like I could drive a road car quicker than we can right now. Mixed feelings.”