The peaceful return of Max Verstappen in Belgian F1 GPwhich helped him extend his lead in the F1 World Championship and give an almost certain blow in the fight for the crown, hides many very important issues that really worry the situation for his opponents from ferrari. This is not a simple Red Bull double, but more than that. Here are the forces behind the amazing race produced by the Red Bull men.
1
More than top speed
“What worries me the most is…”
The trend this year is to say that Red Bull is faster in the straight and Ferrari is better in the corners, generally speaking. Ferrari started out as the car to beat because overall it seemed superior, but Red Bull turned it around. This weekend, Red Bull was faster than Ferrari in all sectors: Both in first and third, pure top speed. As in the second, curved. Nothing to scratch for the Italians.
Ferrari’s only hope is Red Bull’s superiority is down to a pure question of layout. Horner, Verstappen and Pérez said it was a matter of the track, which suited their car. And Sainz is sure that “it will not be the norm between now and the end of the year.” maybe. On this track, with its long straight, Red Bull was able to make the most of its top speed on the straight, its great weapon. The reason is its package: powerful engine and less drag.
He lacks speed in the curve sector. They did it in a simple way: Being very good at the nose, they could lower their speed a bit in the straight to improve their cornering by putting more wing (more downforce). Thus, they achieved more downforce in sector 2 while still being faster than the Ferrari. But the most remarkable thing is that by doing the opposite, reducing the downforce, they also manage to be faster in sector 2!!!
Binotto said: “Red Bull is simply the best car. What worries me the most is that, with less downforce than us, they were able to set good times in the middle sector, where downforce is needed. There was the real performance difference we have with Red Bull.
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The question is whether Red Bull, on circuits where the straights are not too long and give too much time per lap, those from Milton Keynes can find this perfect balance.
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Another question is whether Charles Leclerc, who mounted the new Ferrari engine (Sainz will mount it later), could have stood up to Verstappen if he had not experienced overheating problems due to a ‘ tear-off’ launched by Max stuck in the car.
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Mattia Binotto said in the final appointments before the summer break that Ferrari has already matched Red Bull’s top speed. Obviously in Spa it is not like that. The key may lie in increasing the power of the engine, because on September 1 the propellants were definitely frozen until 2026. Perhaps in this lies the secret that allowed them to take a big step forward.
two
two races in a row
Spa benefited from the Red Bull because of its characteristics, but be careful because it was the second race where the Milton Keynes team was more superior to Ferrari in the race and had a better degradation. In Hungary, on a completely different, buzzy, downforce track that should have been perfect for Ferrari, Verstappen won against all odds. This may indicate a trend in favor of those on energy drinks.
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Binotto pointed again after Spa towards Red Bull’s downforce improvement: “Although certainly not that bad, it was already noticeable in Hungary, on a completely different circuit that requires a lot of downforce. Red Bull is more just quickly at this moment”.
3
Temperature
The theory is that Red Bull is the best team at warming up tires and putting them in their proper window of use when temperatures are low. In Austria, the temperature was 20 degrees on Friday and Saturday but it is expected to rise on Sunday. Finally, on Sunday the sun was shining and the asphalt registered 36 degrees Celsius. It seems the ideal scenario for Ferrari’s performance to be superior to what was seen at its race pace on Friday. But Red Bull’s superiority was overwhelming and Ferrari suffered further damage anyway.
4
Classification
Red Bull said before the summer that the point for improvement was the qualifying session, with Ferrari getting a better performance at one time, although this season the battles for pole are always tight. Until arriving at the Spa this weekend. Verstappen’s difference with respect to Sainz was huge in the Belgian ‘qualy’: Max set 1:43.665 in Q3, while the Spaniard, as the best Ferrari, was 0″632 (1’43″665). At Zandvoort Red Bull needs to confirm if this is a trend or just an issue at Spa.
5
Degradation
The theory also says that the Red Bull has better wear (and better speed) on tracks where the tire limit is set by the front wheels, characteristic of circuits with fast corners like Paul Ricard, for example. Meanwhile, on tracks where the limit is set by the rear wheels, such as those with a lot of traction, the Ferrari is higher and has better wear. It remains to be seen if this trend will continue. At Spa, the fast corners of Eau Rouge, Raidillon or Pouhon are demanding, but the long Kemmel straight cools the tires too much and compromises grip. Ferrari suffered more damage and Red Bull was on another planet.
6
The rules issued in the Spa
And watch out because a new chassis might arrive
A factor that could influence Red Bull’s favor is the new technical directive issued at Spa to combat ‘porpoising’ (rebound) in favor of the pilots’ physique. This directive forces teams to raise the minimum height of the car if the FIA’s instructions regarding rebound are not met. Red Bull welcomed the initiative and even Horner joked that the FIA needs to make more changes like this. Many believe that Red Bull is the team that is least affected by increasing the height of the car, maintaining a good load and good wear.
Ferrari doesn’t see that as the reason: “The effects of the technical directive are completely insignificant to Ferrari. That is not the answer to why our performance is so poor.”
It is also said that Red Bull may test a new chassis that weighs 5 kilograms less than the previous one, but the group has not yet introduced it and will do so soon. Binotto responded with astonishment, not understanding how they could even think of making such an upgrade: “We couldn’t do a light chassis or any chassis at the time because the budget didn’t allow it.”
Source: La Verdad
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
