LAS VEGAS (AFP) — Three-time champion Max Verstappen criticized his Red Bull team but added it was a “nice surprise” to have qualified ahead of title rival Lando Norris for the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

The 27-year-old Dutch driver, who leads Norris by 62 points with three races remaining, said Red Bull had “thrown away two race weekends” by failing to have a dedicated low-downforce rear wing for circuits with high-speed straights such as Monza and Las Vegas.

The pair qualified fifth and sixth and will share the third row of the grid for Saturday night’s “Sin City” race in which Verstappen can seal a fourth consecutive drivers’ crown by beating his friend and nearest rival.

He said he had not expected to be faster than the British McLaren driver in a session topped by George Russell of Mercedes, who claimed his fourth career pole.

“We are in front of McLaren and that’s a nice surprise for me,” Verstappen said.

Norris was despondent about his chances, saying he felt “top four was out of reach” for him.

“Mercedes have been easily the quickest,” Norris added.

“I was struggling in corners and could not find the balance. It was too much of a challenge.”

“But I will do all I can in the race to do what I need.”

“I will keep going to the end and will do my best in every race whether I am fighting for the championship or not.”

Verstappen, though, was unhappy with his team for not updating their rear wing.

“We opted not to make one,” he said of Red Bull’s lack of a circuit specific rear wing.

“We don’t have one. This is from 2022. I think we thought we would never run it that low and then, with the budget cap, it stayed like that.”

“But I think it is a decision that needs revising.”

“With the budget cap, you choose your priorities and we shifted on that.”

“It feels like we throw away two race weekends like this because you lose too much on the straights.”

He added he felt that despite trimming their rear wing in Las Vegas, it remained “a bit of a handicap.”

“We knew it and that’s something that we have to deal with on a track like this and like Monza,” he said.

“I think we did the best we could with what we had.”

“We got a bit lucky with Lewis (Hamilton) not putting a lap in, otherwise I would have been sixth. But I feel happy with my laps.”