Max Verstappen warned of Red Bull 'donkey' problem

Ralf Schumacher has highlighted how Red Bull cars have a tendency to jump like a "donkey or a goat" ahead of the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The 50-lap race takes place around the streets of Sin City, including down The Strip, which can prove bumpy, a characteristic that has not suited the Milton Keynes-based squad in the past.

Schumacher explained how the RB21, like its predecessors, is at its best when run low to the floor and with a stiff suspension, something that will not be compatible with the round in Nevada.

The six-time grand prix winner likening the situation to animals underlined his central point that the Dutchman may have to grapple with an unruly car this weekend.

"Red Bull still has that little problem that they generate most of the downforce with the floor of the car," he said on Backstage Boxengasse, Sky Sport Germany's F1 podcast.

"For that to work, the ride height has to stay very low and the car has to be very stiffly sprung. And then it's just to be hoped that in Las Vegas there are not too many unevennesses and bumps.

"We have heard Max Verstappen say several times in the past that his car jumps like a donkey or a goat. Those are, in terms of tuning, limitations that you run into as a driver."

Joker in the pack

The Red Bull driver remains in distant contention to win his fifth successive F1 drivers' title, but at 49 points adrift of championship leader Lando Norris in the standings, Verstappen needs the cards to fall in his favour in Las Vegas.

One joker in his pack is that McLaren has struggled in the desert city in the first two editions of the race, with the papaya team struggling to get its tyres in the correct operating window in the cool evening conditions.

Schumacher explained how, during his career, he would often set up his car for low temperatures in such a way that it would usually "eat" its tyres.

However, the former Jordan, Williams, and Toyota driver was quick to highlight the associated pitfalls of the risky approach.

"We often set up the car so that it would normally eat tyres, just to get the tyres in the right operating window in terms of temperature," the German said.

"You actually kill the tyres on purpose. Of course, you can only do that to a certain extent, because you automatically reach the point where you overshoot... I'm very curious to see which team finds the best compromise in that."