Red Bull takes back the scene. The hopes of those who would like to see a more competitive world championship have clung to the double pole position won by Charles Leclerc, even going against logic.
There are no miracles in Formula 1 and, although Ferrari confirmed a good step forward in Baku (especially considering that the technical innovations are expected in the next race weekends), it will take a lot to close the gap that Red Bull boasts over the competition. time.
This does not diminish the good Ferrari is showing in Azerbaijan, the second position conquered today by Leclerc has a lot of positives if we consider the placement of those who are now direct opponents, namely Aston Martin and Mercedes.
Charles Leclerc, second with Ferrari, congratulated the winner of the Sprint, Sergio Perez
Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images
Today’s verdicts confirmed that the Red Bulls are currently unassailable except in the event of unforeseen events in the form of reliability and racing incidents. After taking the lead, Perez pulled away decisively, and Verstappen would have done the same if he hadn’t suffered damage to the car in the initial contact with George Russell. But this is not Ferrari’s battle right now.
The objective of the Scuderia and Leclerc is the first podium of the season, the maximum result counted on the eve of the away match in Baku, and from what we have seen in the seventeen laps of the sprint race, it is a result within reach.
In the top-10, the two Ferraris were the only single-seaters to start with two new medium tyres. The reasons for the choice emerged in the final part of the race, when Leclerc had to raise his pace, lapping slower than many of the single-seaters behind him.
Thanks to the safety car, only twelve laps were completed today. Leclerc achieved his best time on lap ten (the fifth launched) but five laps later Charles’ pace was one second and three tenths higher.
In order to manage the medium tyres, Leclerc slowed down in the initial stretch of the second sector in the final laps, re-accelerating as necessary in order not to grant the DRS to Verstappen, a strategy that succeeded perfectly. Charles’ race was the best so far run by the SF-23, and the final 4 seconds that separated him from Perez photograph a very positive Saturday.
Charles Leclerc celebrates second place in the Sprint race with the two Red Bull drivers, Perez and Verstappen
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Ferrari’s availability of tires is different compared to its direct rivals, and the strategies in tomorrow’s race will probably be different. The decision to use a set of new medium tires for the sprint race has left only one last ‘yellow’ train available, a situation shared with Red Bull, Mercedes and Aston Martin, but the three opposing teams have two hard sets available with the single train of Ferrari, which used the harder compound in Friday morning’s free practice (14 laps each for Sainz and Leclerc) with differences from the averages used by the other three squads.
Leclerc’s hopes of aiming for the podium will depend on the performance of the hard set and the decisions that will be made before the start on the management of the 51 scheduled laps. It won’t be easy for Leclerc to give up the tussle with the Red Bulls in the early stages, but if it emerges from the analyzes of the Scuderia engineers that a more relaxed start can help ensure better overall performance over the course of the stint, it could be the best way to aim for the podium…
#Ferrari #strength #dont #challenge #Red #Bulls