Max Verstappen finished Friday’s practice sessions for the United States Grand Prix in second and third positions. With a margin of less than two-tenths compared to Charles Leclerc, who set the best time in both sessions, the Dutch driver showed good pace with his RB22 at the Circuit of the Americas.
Unlike other circuits, such as Malaysia where they stood out above the rest, Red Bull did not shine as much in Austin. However, Verstappen expressed satisfaction with the initial indicators during the weekend.
The driver commented: “It has been a good start to the weekend. This circuit is never easy to find the right compromise between low and high-speed corners.” Verstappen highlighted that the track irregularities make it even harder to achieve a good balance in the car.
Red Bull’s Focus
Technically, teams face a double challenge due to the diversity of the layout. On one hand, they must work to balance fast and slow corners. GPS data indicates that Red Bull is competitive in high-speed sections, but technical director Pierre Wache made it clear that the current focus is on improving performance in slow corners.
The data shows that the slower corners of the circuit are marked in red, a dominant area for Ferrari. Leclerc has shown strength in braking and corner exits, especially in corner 1 and corner 11, before the long straight.
Track Challenges
In the final straight before braking, Verstappen registers a slightly better time than Leclerc, but loses ground in the slowest section between corners 12 and 16, an area that presents a significant challenge for drivers.
Wache’s comments emphasize that it’s not just about finding the balance between corners, but also ensuring optimal performance on a surface with many irregularities, which Verstappen described as ‘unacceptable’ during Thursday’s press conference.
Wache explained that “the car reacts to these irregularities as expected, bouncing quite a bit.” The track is extremely uneven, especially at the braking point of corner 1, where precautions are essential.
Red Bull’s priorities to improve the situation before qualifying focus on optimizing the car’s behavior over the irregularities and its performance in slow corners. The expectations are high among the team to face the upcoming challenges in Austin.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
