Max Verstappen is adamant that just because Red Bull has been strong at low downforce tracks of late, it does not guarantee success in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The Dutchman dismissed the comparison between circuits of a similar profile to the one in Sin City, on account of the idiosyncrasies of the conditions in Nevada.
Having finished the first hour of running fourth-quickest and slower than Yuki Tsunoda, due to the dirty track surface, meaning the session was far from representative, Verstappen slipped back to ninth fastest in second free practice, but was comfortably ahead of his team-mate, as expected.
"It's been okay," the four-time F1 drivers' champion said when looking back on the opening evening of the weekend.
"Just difficult to understand what to do with those interruptions," he added, following two late red flags in FP2. "I think we still need to improve a little bit to find a bit more grip out there.
"Also, the track, of course, is improving quite a bit every session. So, we'll try to just focus on that, seeing how we can operate the tyres for qualifying and the race."
However, when it was put to him that tracks with a similar downforce profile have suited the RB21 and proven fruitful for the Milton Keynes-based squad in the second half of the season — like at Monza and Baku, where Verstappen took victories — the 68-time grand prix winner denied any comparison could be made.
The 28-year-old highlighted the temperature and the low-grip tarmac as the key factors in making the Las Vegas Strip Circuit a unique proposition.
"It's a lot colder here, and the surface is very slippery, so you cannot compare it to other tracks just because it's low downforce," he explained.
"So it's not a given that you are then quick here."
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