Red Bull is reportedly losing north of half a second on the straights in Las Vegas after bringing the wrong specification rear wing.

Max Verstappen goes into the race in a commanding position to secure his fourth consecutive World Championship, knowing that if his current 62-point lead stands at 60 or more after the final classification, he will retain the title. However, it looks like he will need to work even harder for that achievement than already planned.

Red Bull losing six-tenths after bringing wrong rear wing

Additional reporting by Elizabeth Blackstock

Verstappen ended the second practice session P17 and team-mate Sergio Perez P19, with Auto Motor und Sport reporting that Red Bull are giving up six-tenths on the straights alone as they packed the wrong rear wing for the Las Vegas GP, with the version they brought creating too much drag.

Adding that Red Bull would need to get a suitable version flown to Las Vegas from England by the morning, Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko was asked by Autosport whether this would be possible.

“No,” was his reply, Marko confirming that a smaller rear wing “would be more helpful, for sure.”

So for Las Vegas, Red Bull “don’t have another rear wing, a smaller rear wing, as we see it on our competitors.”

However, it wasn’t just Red Bull who were off the pace in Las Vegas, as junior team VCARB also initially struggled before making gains in second practice, as Yuki Tsunoda muscled his way into the top 10.

“They were completely off pace in P1 but in the second session there was quite a good improvement,” Marko exclusively told PlanetF1.com’s Elizabeth Blackstock.

“They had problems with the tyres, they had graining, they didn’t get temperature in the front tyres.

“The steps they made… I think Yuki. Where did Yuki finish?

“First session they were last, second last, and now they are near the top 10 at least in one car. So the direction is good.

“Of course, it has to improve and it’s still Friday [Thursday night] so let’s see. We are positive that we will move forward.”

The Las Vegas GP is a critical race weekend for the Red Bull team as a whole, as they look to remain in the hunt to retain their Constructors’ Championship crown.

Red Bull sit P3 in the current standings, 13 points behind Ferrari and 49 back from leaders McLaren.