Max Verstappen closed out Friday at the United States Grand Prix in Formula 1 among the top three, but Red Bull Racing is still chasing the ideal balance for the car in Austin. The team identified difficulties with the circuit’s undulations and tire management, while Isack Hadjar also faced challenges in achieving consistent performance.
Verstappen posted the second-best time in FP1, 1:36.136, and finished FP2 in third, lowering his best to 1:35.480. The Dutchman evaluated the weekend’s start positively, though he acknowledged that adjustments are still needed to improve the car’s behavior through the track’s different corners.
“It has been a positive start to the weekend. This track is never easy when it comes to finding the right compromise between the low- and high-speed corners,” Verstappen said. He also highlighted that the bumps make the work tougher and demand a balance that allows the driver to find a rhythm over the lap.
Hadjar showed progress on the timing sheet, moving from 14th place in FP1 to ninth in FP2. However, the Frenchman reported difficulties with the soft tires, which performed worse than the mediums on his car. According to him, the first sector was positive, but tire temperature became a problem for the rest of the lap.
Red Bull’s technical director, Pierre Waché, explained that the setup is less stiff than last year, but the car still does not absorb the undulations as the team would like. He also confirmed that Verstappen faced a steering issue in FP1, resolved before the second session, when improvements to the setup were observed.
Waché pointed to tire wear on the long runs as one of the main weekend challenges. Red Bull needs to strike a balance between race pace and single-lap speed, preventing the tires from wearing excessively in the high-speed corners of the first sector from compromising the rest of the lap.
The team is still focusing particularly on Hadjar’s car and aims to improve performance in the slow corners. While the priority remains the race, Waché said Red Bull also intends to arrive at the qualifying session in more competitive conditions.
