Picture this: Max Verstappen, the relentless champion of Formula 1, shrugging off a second-place qualifying spot and casually saying it’s ‘fine’ – a statement that flips the script on everything we know about his ultra-competitive spirit!
In typical scenarios, the Dutch driver would likely be steaming with frustration over not snagging pole position. Yet, following his qualifying performance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, where he secured P2, Verstappen dropped a line that’s incredibly unusual coming from such a driven and intense personality. ‘It’s fine like this,’ he remarked, leaving fans and analysts alike scratching their heads.
But here’s where it gets tricky – the weather threw a massive wrench into the works. Heavy rain before and during the initial qualifying segment turned the track into a hazardous zone, with puddles of standing water making navigation downright dangerous. This led to most drivers opting for Pirelli’s blue-banded ‘extreme’ wet tires right up until the final stages of qualifying. For context, these tires are rarely used in a Grand Prix weekend because extreme wet conditions usually trigger a red flag, halting the session to ensure safety. So, merely advancing to Q3 – the third and decisive qualifying round, where the top 10 battle for the best starting spots – felt like a victory in itself, given the constantly changing track grip, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and frequent yellow flag cautions that disrupted laps.
Digging deeper into Red Bull’s recent struggles, it’s clear their competitive comeback has hit a bit of a plateau. Remember how a fresh floor design introduced at Monza seemed to unleash hidden power in the RB21 car, helping Verstappen close the gap on McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the drivers’ championship? Well, subsequent races have shown that Red Bull hasn’t fully cracked the code yet. The team is still experimenting with different setups across their cars, using Yuki Tsunoda’s as a sort of rolling test bed. This weekend in Las Vegas, the two Red Bulls even sported slightly varied floor geometries – not due to a parts shortage, but because they’re relentlessly searching for that perfect balance. In fact, team principal Laurent Mekies apologized to Tsunoda post-qualifying for errors in tire pressure adjustments that might have cost him.
And this is the part most people overlook – how Verstappen’s mindset has evolved alongside these team challenges. Back in the summer, he publicly dismissed his title hopes, sounding almost resigned. But after his Monza triumph and the races that followed, where he clawed back points, he reignited his passion for the fight. However, setbacks in Mexico and Brazil, particularly against Norris, forced another pivot. Heading into Las Vegas, Verstappen admitted he ‘needs a lot of luck until the end’ and isn’t even dwelling on the championship anymore. To make matters worse, Red Bull’s practice sessions were hampered: they couldn’t complete proper long runs on tires that mimic race conditions, and two red flags at the end of FP2 (the second free practice session) prevented Verstappen from truly testing the RB21’s capabilities under qualifying-like circumstances. The rain on Saturday made that moot anyway.
Verstappen himself described the qualifying as ‘super slippery,’ comparing it to driving on ice. ‘I love racing in the wet, but this was a bit too extreme for my taste,’ he said. ‘You have to be incredibly cautious.’ He was pleasantly surprised by the lack of major incidents, attributing it to drivers being on their best behavior – or perhaps just terrified. He noted that the team was more competitive on the extreme tires than the intermediates (a step up in dryness). The chaos included drivers aborting laps, yellow flags waving, spins, and lock-ups, but Red Bull navigated it relatively drama-free, landing Verstappen on the front row. ‘A bit unlucky not getting another clean lap in,’ he conceded, ‘but honestly, if you look at Q3 overall, we never really fought for pole. The track was drying, and normally you’d improve with each lap, but there wasn’t time. We were never leading, never fast enough – so second place is just fine.’
But here’s where it gets controversial – is this genuine acceptance, or a strategic play? Verstappen has a history of turning non-pole starts into race wins, like in Brazil, where he started way back in Q1 (the first qualifying round) after a Q1 elimination, charged through the pack for a podium, and even had the team violate parc ferme (the post-qualifying ban on car changes) to tweak the setup and swap the power unit. Yet in Las Vegas, he’s tempering hopes: ‘We didn’t get much proper long-run practice. FP1 was okay but not ideal, so with the adjustments since then, hopefully it’ll be better. But I’m not expecting miracles.’
This shift in attitude raises eyebrows – is Verstappen embracing realism, or is he subtly managing expectations to set up a comeback? Some might argue his laid-back vibe is a sign of maturity, while others see it as mind games to keep rivals off-guard. What do you think? Does this ‘it’s fine’ stance reflect true contentment, or is it a calculated move in the high-stakes title battle? And could Red Bull’s ongoing tinkering finally pay off, or is this the end of their renaissance? Share your thoughts in the comments – do you agree with Verstappen’s chill approach, or disagree? We’d love to hear your opinions!
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Formula 1How Verstappen could be eliminated from the F1 title race in Las Vegas GP
(https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/how-verstappen-could-be-eliminated-from-the-f1-title-race-in-las-vegas-gp/10777158/)
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- The Autosport.com Team