Share this article:
shareTweetshareshareshareE-mailshare
CAPE TOWN – The second race of the season has a chaotic, flawed and eventful race at the Emilia Romagna GP. Here we’re looking at a handful of things we learned from the Imola race last weekend
5 AlphaTauri do not deliver
Before the race, the Red Bull development team should be among the front runners, even a possible podium finish. That didn’t happen when they were fighting in the conditions. Pierre Gasly finished seventh while rookie Yuki Tsunoda missed any chance of a points race by flying off the track and eventually finishing 12th. The AlphaTuari certainly has the power and speed to compete, but right now they’re just not sewing a package together that can be competitive.
ALSO READ: I’m Only Human, says Lewis Hamilton after recovering from rare mistakes
4 Ferraris are on the rise
After a terrible 2020, Scuderia are slowly getting more competitive this season. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, while team-mate Carlos Sainz jun was one place behind. They could have secured a podium if it hadn’t been for the brilliance of Lando Norris in his McLaren taking advantage of the red flag restart and the soft compound tire to stay in third place.
3 Silver Arrows are not in a lucky room
It might seem odd to make a statement – after all, defending World Champion Lewis Hamilton finished second and is still leading the drivers’ standings while having a seven-point lead over Red Bull in the Constructor title.
That won’t be the immediate concern, however – Valtteri Bottas will be. The Finn had a hot day of racing and eventually crashed when he collided with Williams’ George Russell. Bottas qualified for eight and lacked the racing pace to make him a threat or strategic to his team. The collision with Russell resulted in a violent and disrespectful exchange between the two at Villeneuve Corner and you would expect team boss Toto Wolff to give both drivers harsh words to ease the tension between his reigning driver and the future of the Silver Arrows.
Bottas needs a good race, and soon.
ALSO READ: Aston Martin Could Be Collateral Damage Says Mercedes F1 Boss
2 Red Bull are the real deal
Max Verstappen had an almost flawless performance at Imola, apart from a unique, nerve-wracking spin before the red flag restart. Despite those hiccups, the Dutch strolled to an easy win in the end – 22 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes.
Both Red Bulls made an immediate impression with excellent line starts. Verstappen took advantage of the opportunity to jump from third place on the grid and take first place – which he never gave up. Red Bull is undoubtedly the fastest car in the paddock right now.
1 We are about to go to hell
It cannot be emphasized how important this win was for Red Bull and Verstappen. They should have won in Bahrain had it not been for some clever tactic from Mercedes and the imperious drive from Hamilton. For now, it’s a stamp of belief that Red Bull can compete against Mercedes dominance and with the next Spanish GP – another track where starting position is extremely important – the pace they showed at Imola could be theirs Extend the tour afterwards on the weekend of May 9th. The Silver Arrows cannot be written off, however, and one can expect a massive struggle from them to maintain their supremacy.
The post Understand the chaos at the Imola F1 Grand Prix first appeared on monter-une-startup.
