At Imola the sky is scrutinized to see if the (expected) rain will come to reshuffle the cards of an Emilia Romagna GP that proposes a challenge between Red Bull and Ferrari who occupy the first two rows, leaving little space for all the others. Mattia Binotto, team principal of the Cavallino, has clear ideas: the Cavallino team will try to win the Italian race that opens the European season, but does not want them to take unnecessary risks.
We already saw it yesterday when Charles Leclerc was “submissive” when he suffered the attack of Max Verstappen in the last bars of the Sprint Race, in the knowledge that “… at worst a redhead can finish fourth”.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, passes Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, and takes the lead in the Sprint Race
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
So, will Mercedes not be able to catch up with Ferrari and Mercedes?
“I honestly see it as difficult. Because if I look at their performances today they don’t have a single problem, I see them struggling on several fronts. They will certainly get close, they are a solid, strong team, who have won a lot. Sooner or later they will correct mistakes and they will be competitive again, but this year is a very difficult exercise for them. “
At the beginning of the season you said that the true values will only be discovered after 5-6 races. Do you still think so?
“Yes, I absolutely still think so. Making a final judgment today would be a mistake. Only three races have been disputed. We will have to wait for Barcelona to get an idea, when we have all understood the cars better, including the drivers, being able to make the most of their potential. available after the news and corrections to the single-seaters are brought to the track. And maybe those who had problems at the beginning will be able to recover with the news. Having said that, from here to Barcelona, I really don’t think the values will be upset “.
In short, the world championship match will go faster and faster between Ferrari and Red Bull and between Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen.
The third element of the front suspension of the Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
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