Marko Confirms Critical Mistake Made By Red Bull In Las Vegas

Friday, 22 November 2024 at 10:04

Helmut Marko confirmed following the FP2 session in Las Vegas that rumors about Red Bull's mistake with the rear wing are true.

Red Bull Racing came to Las Vegas knowing this could be the race weekend where Max Verstappen seals his fourth Championship title. However, it didn't look so good for the team after the second practice session on Friday.

Max Verstappen ended the session in P17, with his teammate Sergio Perez two positions further - in P19, and according to Motorsport.com, the GPS data suggested that both drivers were around 7km/h slower on the straights compared to Mercedes and McLaren (fastest teams).

Auto Motor und Sport reported already during the FP2 session that Red Bull packed a wrong rear wing (one that is too steep) for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend.

That would explain why Verstappen and Perez lost so much time on the straights. Red Bull's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko confirmed the speculations after the second practice session as he told the media:

"We don't have another rear wing, a smaller rear wing, as we see it on our competitors. It would be more helpful, for sure."

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When Marko was asked whether there was any chance that his team could fly a new wing from the UK to the US by tomorrow, he replied: "No."

In terms of where the Austrian team stands at the moment performance-wise compared to its rivals, the 81-year-old had mixed feelings:

On the short run we didn't go out with a soft tire, and the long run was only partly good. Some laps were competitive, but then the rear tires were disappearing. There were flashes of speed. We just have to get consistency into it. "

"We need more balance. On the single lap we can improve. But on the long run, the tire wear is a problem at the moment."

Tomorrow is a different day. You maybe saw it a lot of times. People will be fastest on Friday or Thursday, but it doesn't mean that they are fast in the race... We will, for sure, make a reasonable step."