Max Verstappen suffered a bizarre issue with his Red Bull at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, starting his race weekend in a troubled fashion.
A brilliant come-from-behind win in Brazil last time out put the Dutchman in touching distance of his fourth consecutive drivers' championship, which he can clinch this weekend.
If Verstappen wins the race Las Vegas, or indeed finishes higher than title rival Lando Norris, then he will join the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Alain Prost despite a turbulent year for the Red Bull star on-track.
Prior to Brazil, the champion had not won a grand prix since the Spanish GP, with Red Bull not only outpaced by McLaren but also Ferrari in recent races.
Max Verstappen reports strange FP1 issue in Las Vegas
Whilst it will take a herculean effort for Norris to remain in the fight for this first world title in Las Vegas, the Brit has got off to an encouraging start in FP1 this weekend.
Norris finished the session P3, behind the two Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, as the drivers battled with the tricky conditions in the dust.
Verstappen only managed to set the fifth best time, and was also plagued by a bizarre issue throughout the first session.
“Mate, the **** wheel! This…,” he said during FP1.
“There’s this connection issue. The radio went on by itself.”
When the cars assembled on the starting grid towards the end of the session, Verstappen once again reported the issue.
“The steering wheel sometimes randomly disconnects,” he added.