The driver from Madrid took the best time of the free practice day, with the Red Bulls further than expected
Everything is ready for Max Verstappen to become world champion on Sunday. The story tells itself and the calendar is favorable: this Friday the Dutchman turns 25. But while the script seems to be written in such a way that he heals his second wound this weekend, they won’t make it easy for him.
It is only a matter of time that the current champion will eventually reissue the title, but his rivals are unwilling to do so at the first opportunity. The first to complicate Verstappen’s life are the Ferrari drivers and in particular Carlos Sainz. Although the Madrid man is having a really hard time lifting the wound, mathematically he has options. In fact, he’s the last one to do it: he should win everything that’s left and SuperMax hasn’t achieved that. It’s almost easier to win a EuroMillion, but the math says what it says.
Sainz showed that he is ready to take on the challenge. Ferrari’s move is clear: they will not benefit the Spaniard because it is not his first sword, but rather a Charles Leclerc who is in the middle of a battle with Sergio Pérez for second place and, if accompanied by a bunch of luck, with Verstappen himself for the World Cup. For Red Bull it shouldn’t be a tasteful dish to see them outside the top 3, with the championship leader in fourth place and a forgettable Czech ninth at the end of the day. Meanwhile, Sainz and Leclerc are first and second.
Ferrari’s performance should be read with caution. There is no free practice in which Verstappen and Red Bull show all their weapons, supporting the argument of those committed to seeing more and more weekends with a sprint format: no one has been glossed over since the three weekend days of feature action. They don’t want to force much either, as they are aware that a mechanical failure could ruin the options for this weekend. Nothing seems to happen, but hubris is often a formidable adversary.
At Red Bull, they also suffered a setback in the form of very serious journalistic information. Independently but at the same time, Auto Motor Und Sport and La Gazzetta dello Sport have published that the energy drinks team and Aston Martin have “obviously” skipped the budget cap of 140 million for the 2021 season. the FIA is already under investigation, they risk a severe sanction that may even aim at a sporting penalty. Mercedes and Ferrari, among others, are asking for a strong hand for this financial doping, which they believe would explain the good performance of last and this season.
It will not be an easy weekend for Alpine and Fernando Alonso in particular. The Asturian finished the two sessions behind Esteban Ocon, who will continue to boast of being ahead of the two-time world champion until Sunday. But this cannot be explained solely by the pure performance of the Spaniards.
The image of Alonso waiting in his box at the end of the first free sessions did not bode well. The mechanics on the Spaniard’s side began investigating a possible oil leak in the gearbox of the blue and pink car, something that could force them to fit a new one and be penalized accordingly. Partly because of this, they did not penetrate into the second free practice, where Alonso finished in a more than fine eighth place. Few laps and not very fast: it’s not the best possible start to the weekend where he becomes the driver with the most Grand Prix races in Formula 1 history, 351.
In any case, on the good side, he feels optimistic with the sensations the new pieces worn here have given him, such as an almost completely redesigned flat bottom. “The update of our car seems to be working well so far,” admitted the Spaniard, who promises to pay more attention to what they can improve with a view to qualifying and especially the race, where he ‘does’ the chest.
Source: La Verdad
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