Red Bull and McLaren bring updates for Las Vegas showdown

Red Bull and McLaren are two of only three teams to have made tweaks to their cars for this weekend's Las Vegas Grand Prix.

For McLaren, it will be hoping the updates add a degree of performance that has been sorely lacking at the Sin City circuit over the past two years since the race was added to the F1 calendar.

In 2023, Lando Norris crashed out, whilst Oscar Piastri could only manage 10th after the duo started 16th and 19th respectively.

Last year, the British driver and his Australian team-mate could only manage sixth and seventh, from sixth and eighth on the grid.

The cars have not been suited to the low night-time temperatures and the low-grip conditions that dominate at this time of the year.

There is natural consternation that, despite its dominance this season, it will again be off the pace this weekend.

To that end, modifications have been made to the front and rear wings, both circuit-specific. To the front wing, there is a trimmed flap designed to extend balance range in combination with the low downforce rear wing.

To the rear, on the wing assembly, a reduced cord flap provides the ability to reduce drag and downforce.

At Red Bull, to meet the expected balance requirements of the circuit for a range of rear-wing levels, the front-wing flaps have reduced cambers and chords.

The only other team with an update is Racing Bulls, with an upper rear-wing flap which has been changed to meet the needs of the target downforce and efficiency level for the circuit.

Norris heads into the race with a 24-point lead over Piastri, whilst Red Bull's Max Verstappen is 49 points adrift. There are still 83 points up for grabs from the final three races.