Verstappen: Surprised we are still in front of McLaren

Reflecting on the outcome, Verstappen told Sky Sports F1: "We tried to do the best we could. We worked well together. We tried a lot of different things to see what was the right direction. I think what we did was the right direction but 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," added Verstappen, who out-qualified his Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez. The Mexican veteran not making it beyond Q1 for a sixth time this season. He will start from P16 on the grid.

Red Bull have faced persistent issues with their rear wing at high-speed tracks like Las Vegas, a problem Verstappen attributed to budget cap constraints: "We don't have a Monza-spec wing, which you need here. That's something we opted to do from the start but we have lacked a rear wing like that for three years now for budget cap reasons,"

"It's maybe something we have to reconsider. It's not really efficient to race like this. It's still two races where you are leaving lap time on the table. We will have a look for the future but there are only one more year of these regulations, so it doesn't make sense to make it maybe," Verstappen explained

Looking ahead to Sunday’s race, Verstappen expressed concern over Red Bull’s tyre degradation during long runs, which could hinder their chances of competing for the win: "At the moment, it's difficult to tell. Both of us were not great on the long run, we both degged [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," added Verstappen, who will secure his fourth Formula 1 World Championship in Las Vegas if he finishes the race with a lead of 60 points or more over Lando Norris.

To achieve this, Verstappen must finish ahead of Norris in any position or ensure that Norris does not outscore him by more than two points.

Various scenarios could play out, including Norris finishing as high as second with Verstappen in third with the fastest lap, would still allow him to clinch the title. The title race could be over by the end of the night in Vegas.

With Mercedes driver George Russell starting on pole ahead of Ferrari's Carlos Sainz and Pierre Gasly in his Alpine, Verstappen faces an uphill battle to move forward in the race. However, being ahead of Norris is a welcome bonus for the Dutchman.