Mercedes and Ferrari share free practice with mechanical problems for the Dutchman from the start
The thousands of fans who packed the grandstands of the Dutch Zandvoort circuit didn’t expect to end the day without seeing their idol at the top. Max Verstappen started the day with a problem they had not expected. The transmission of his Red Bull’s gearbox left him behind and with a smoke that is never good news. After looking bleak and giving his mechanics extra work, the world champion set to work making sure his party weekend didn’t turn into a disaster.
If the cat has trouble, the mice have a party, which for Formula 1 purposes means a smile at Ferrari… and Mercedes. The silver arrows that made such a bad feeling at the start of the year have restored the pulse at Ferrari to the point that the minimum goal of being seconds has become a challenge. Not in vain, George Russell and Lewis sent Hamilton in the morning session to stay close in the afternoon, with the seven-time champion rolling in the same tenth as Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz, who are the first alternatives to the Red Bull starting.
Although everything indicates that the big dominators have so far had difficulty arriving at the orange party that is being organized in the Netherlands throughout the weekend, no one should forget what happened in Spa-Francorchamps. And nobody does: Verstappen’s comeback is still resonating in the minds of fans and the drivers themselves, who fear the mechanical problems of the local idol and firm championship leader are another prelude to what’s to come on Saturday and Sunday : another heroic comeback. No one considers Verstappen dead, let alone in free practice on Friday without much history outside of some irrelevant circuit exit.
After a solid Belgian GP, reaching an antagonistic circuit like Zandvoort was a challenge for upper-middle zone teams like Alpine. While both Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon scored, they feared they would not be able to cope at this track, although those dark clouds have ruled them out for now.
The better of the two in both sessions this Friday was Alonso. The Spanish driver finished the day in a handsome seventh place, ahead of Verstappen with the aforementioned problems and an Ocon who suffered more than expected. Although the Spaniard was the best, he doesn’t want to get complacent as he has seen all too often this year that his chances could run out at any moment. However, the first sensations are sweet.
“It was a good Friday for us. It’s a very different track to the one we experienced in Spa last weekend. It’s a fun place to drive Formula 1 cars, it’s like a roller coaster with all the bumps. The car feels good so far and I think we’ve seen a lot of evolution on the track as the track was very dusty in the morning. We are going to evaluate everything, but we are happy with our progress so far,” said the Spaniard shortly.
They didn’t feel like talking in Alpine. Just before these free sessions, the decision of the Contract Recognition Committee was confirmed, an arbitration body that determines who is right in duplication of a pilot contract. The battle between McLaren and Alpine to get Oscar Piastri turned, as many expected, in favor of the British: the Australian, who has been a Renault youth team since childhood, will make the jump to Formula 1 in 2023 as a partner of Lando Norris , who has a partner younger than him for the first time.
Alpine and Otmar Szafnauer who personified him accomplished the disaster. Just a month and a half ago they had on their payroll an established driver with potential like Esteban Ocon, an experienced and hungry two-time world champion like Fernando Alonso and a budding diamond like Oscar Piastri in the room pushing on the door. Now they only have the first and, moreover, he is unable to beat the Spaniards, who, given the percal, have moved for someone else to flee towards Aston Martin next year. The lousy management of the case in Alpine leaves many portrayed, with Szafnauer in the lead role, leaving a good example of what has happened in the Anglo-French squad in recent months.
It remains to be seen who will ultimately replace Alonso. Names like Pierre Gasly or Daniel Ricciardo (who is the victim of Piastri’s arrival at McLaren) are on the table, but given what has been seen, no one dares predict that Alpine will make it to the company.
Source: La Verdad
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