Imagine the tension: the roar of engines, the spray of water, the Las Vegas Grand Prix grid hanging in the balance… Then, BAM! Max Verstappen, the reigning champion, misses pole position. Red Bull’s top advisor, Helmut Marko, is pointing fingers, but not at Max himself. He says traffic is the culprit. Let’s delve into why Red Bull believes this cost Verstappen the top spot in that dramatic, rain-soaked qualifying session where Lando Norris stole the show.
After dominating earlier sessions, the Red Bull team, based in Milton Keynes, were fully expecting Verstappen to secure pole position. Marko himself admitted they were counting on it! Verstappen had navigated the treacherous conditions of Q1 and Q2 with relative ease, showcasing his skill on the notoriously slippery Las Vegas Strip Circuit. The rain had made an already low-grip track even more challenging, causing several drivers to struggle to find the sweet spot for their tires.
But here’s where it gets controversial… Verstappen, despite his struggles early on, seemed to have found his rhythm. He was consistently improving his lap times and appeared poised to deliver a knockout punch in Q3. However, Norris, in his McLaren, unleashed a blistering final lap, snatching pole position by a mere three-tenths of a second. A tiny margin, but in Formula 1, that’s an eternity.
Marko, while disappointed, expressed relief that the session concluded without any major incidents. He even praised the drivers’ collective ability to keep their cars on the track in such treacherous conditions. “I have to say, I admire all the drivers,” Marko told Sky Sports Germany. “All but Albon managed to keep the cars on the track without crashing, and that under these very difficult conditions.”
So, what went wrong? According to Marko, it wasn’t a lack of pace from Verstappen, but rather a combination of factors that ultimately hindered his final run. “After Q1 and Q2, we were actually counting on pole position, but in terms of timing, it didn’t work out,” Marko explained. “We just couldn’t start a final lap like Lando was able to do. Only then the conditions were the best and our tyres also cooled down, but in the end it all just didn’t work out. There would have been more in it.”
And this is the part most people miss… Marko specifically highlighted track traffic as the main obstacle preventing Verstappen from unleashing his full potential. He elaborated, “It was mainly about the traffic, which then confuses everything. You only need a reasonably free lap, but maybe we also just went back out too early.” Think of it like trying to sprint while constantly dodging obstacles – impossible to maintain your speed and rhythm. The timing of Verstappen’s final run, coupled with the presence of other cars on the track, ultimately compromised his ability to set a pole-winning lap. Imagine being stuck behind a slower car just as you’re about to enter a crucial corner! Frustrating, right?
But let’s be real, could there be more to the story? Is traffic a convenient excuse, or was there perhaps a slight miscalculation in strategy? Could the team have done something differently to ensure Verstappen had a clear track? And even more controversially, could the setup of the car have been slightly off, preventing Verstappen from fully exploiting the improving track conditions? What are your thoughts? Do you believe traffic was the sole reason Verstappen missed out on pole, or do you think other factors were at play? Let us know in the comments below!