Formula 1 leader Max Verstappen said he was surprised to be ahead of title challenger Lando Norris after qualifying fifth for the Las Vegas Grand Prix despite a rear wing disadvantage.
Verstappen’s Red Bull has been slower on the Las Vegas straights than his rivals, with the team explaining they had not designed a special low downforce rear wing for cost reasons.
The Dutchman can capture his fourth successive Formula 1 championship on Saturday if he beats McLaren’s Norris, who was sixth in qualifying.
“We tried to do the best we could,” Verstappen told reporters after qualifying, where Mercedes driver George Russell took pole.
“We worked well together. We tried a lot of different things to see what was the right direction… still clearly not enough to fight for pole. I’m still quite happy.
“We are still in front of McLaren, which for me is a bit of a surprise but I’m quite happy with how qualifying went and my laps.”
Verstappen, 62 points clear of Norris with 60 remaining to be won after Las Vegas, downplayed expectations that he would clinch the title on Saturday at the race he won in its first iteration last year.
“At the moment, it’s difficult to tell,” he said. “Both of us were not great on the long run, we both [degraded] on the tyres compared to other teams.
“But a lot of teams have made changes, so only time will tell tomorrow how we will perform.”
1:52
Pole position changes hands three times in final seconds
A breathless end of qualifying in Las Vegas as pole position changes hands three times after the chequered flag dropped.
Norris said Mercedes and Ferrari have both shown the superiority of their cars in Las Vegas and that he was not comfortable pushing too hard.
“When you are trying to find lap time but not go over the limit it’s a difficult balance,” he said. “So just too much of a challenge for us and that showed.”
The Briton said beating Verstappen to extend the battle for the championship to Qatar was his focus.
“I’ll do everything I can, of course. That’s what I’m here to do,” he said. “I’m not going to give up until the end even if the chance is extremely thin.
“But I’m here to do the best in every race I can whether I’m fighting for a championship or not.
“So I’ll go out tomorrow, it’s a long race, many things can happen. We’re quick in the straight so hopefully that can come to our advantage.”