Max Verstappen admits that the lack of an ultra low drag rear wing for the Red Bull RB20 has been “a bit of a handicap” in Las Vegas. The team opted some time ago not to devote limited resources in terms of both the cost cap and aero testing into making a wing that would only be used at fast circuits like Vegas and Monza. The team realised early in Thursday’s practice session that rivals had a much more effective package for the street circuit. Some modifications were made to the wings of the cars for Friday by trimming away some carbon.
After a difficult start to FP3 managed to find some performance, with Verstappen eventually taking fifth on the grid.
“We know that with our wing naturally you lose top speed, especially with DRS open,” said the Dutchman.It’s a bit of a handicap. We knew that, and that’s something of course that we have to deal with on a track like this, a 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. I mean, we got a bit lucky of course with Lewis [Hamilton] not putting a lap in, otherwise it would have been P6. I think we really maximised what we could.”
Verstappen confirmed that the team had made a strategic call not to produce an ultra low drag wing. “We opted to not make one,” he said. “We don’t have one. So this is already from 2022. I think we just never thought that we would run it that low, and then with the budget cap you choose your priorities. Would I have liked to have a lower wing, a lower downforce wing? Yeah for sure, or at least a different shape, a more efficient shape. It’s something that we’ll 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. 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 straight.”
Verstappen admitted that the wing will make his life harder in the race. “Naturally of course, the wing is not the most efficient,” he said. “Hopefully with everyone’s DRS closed it’s a little bit better, because when you trim your DRS you have less of a DRS effect. And that’s what is quite painful in qualifying. In the race, when you try to pass people, you have less of an effect. So that will be a bit more difficult. But yeah, hopefully we’re just decent on tyres. My long runs haven’t been really that good, but we also made some changes to the car, and hopefully that will help the tyres out as well.”
Regarding RBR’s main rivals he said: “Well, hopefully, of course, I can fight really hard. I don’t think at the moment I can fight with Ferrari or Mercedes, they have been too quick. And of course, Lewis is starting P10, so he will move forward. And with McLaren, I don’t know, both of us were struggling a bit in the long run, but they made some changes. We made some changes. So we have to wait and see how that will how that will go.“
