Red Bull always on point on a strategic level
The free practice session alone was obviously a problem for everyone in Texas, including Red Bull, but apart from the failure to find the perfect set-up to unleash the full potential of the RB19, the Milton Keynes team avoided disqualifications at the end of the race – Max Verstappen’s car was checked and found to be in order, unlike Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari – and he took part in the Grand Prix with the clear ideas at a strategic level.
Both Ferrari and Mercedes were not completely certain whether the race would be one or two stops, but Max Verstappen instead followed a plan already studied in advance as demonstrated by the fact that he was the first of the pacesetters to stop after 17 laps. The team principal Christian Horner in his post-race statements he did not spare a dig at Mercedes’ rivals, who were too undecided on a strategic level.
The words of Christian Horner
“Before the race, all our simulations indicated that the two stops were the fastest for us on a strategic level. The doubt was whether to use the hard tires in the middle stint or the medium ones. We knew that Lando Norris would use two sets of hard tires and therefore we thought of going on the attack in the central stint by using mediums to gain track position against Norris. It was very important for Verstappen to overtake Norris, once he managed to overtake, it was a matter of pushing as much as possible until the finish line.”
“I believe that Mercedes found itself in no man’s land on a tactical level. They tried to follow the one-stop strategy and then aborted it. They used the best tire in the final stint, but we had enough of an advantage to keep Hamilton at bay. Verstappen had to race while managing a brake problem. Over the radio he made it clear that he was not satisfied with the brakes, but he managed the situation perfectly, finishing with a safety margin at the finish line.”
#Horner #mocks #Mercedes #mans #land #strategy #perfect