In the great duel between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc in Saudi Arabia, it was noticeable how the exceptional talent included the so-called DRS zones in the attacks. Christian Horner doesn’t like that.
World championship leader Charles Leclerc and world champion Max Verstappen showed at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix why they are exceptional talents. Their duel on the Jeddah Corniche Circuit was a treat, and it was striking how the Monegasque and Dutchman skilfully incorporated the DRS zones into their attack plans, i.e. those areas of the track where the distance to the opponent is first measured, and when If this distance is less than his second, the pursuer may flatten his rear wing.
At the Red Sea, this led to Verstappen and Leclerc visibly trying not to give their opponents this advantage. Ferrari driver Charles later confirmed: “It was clear to me – if Max can use DRS behind me, then I’m fair game on the straight.”
So in one situation, Leclerc intentionally dropped behind Verstappen by braking early to get DRS (drag reduction system), “but Max looked at it and of course understood what I was doing, so we both had a lot on the following lap braked early».
For the Red Bull Racing team boss, one thing is clear: if drivers drop behind for tactical reasons or even brake excessively in order to gain an advantage, then this cannot be in the inventor’s interest.
The Englishman says: “The DRS was such a big advantage in Saudi Arabia that there were these cat and mouse games with drivers who deliberately brake and then accelerate once more. We should take a look at whether the characteristic curves for adjusting the rear wing are placed correctly. I believe that we must avoid such situations.”
As a reminder: There were also such games in the duel Verstappen once morest Lewis Hamilton in Jeddah 2021 – with the result that there was a collision between the two title contenders.
Results Formula 1, Jeddah
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing RB18
02. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari F1-75, +0.549sec
03. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari F1-75, +8,097
04. Sergio Pérez (MEX), Red Bull Racing RB18, +10,800
05. George Russell (GB), Mercedes W13, +32,732
06. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine A522-Renault, +56,017
07. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren MCL36-Mercedes, +56,124
08. Pierre Gasly (F), AlphaTauri AT03, +1:02,946 min
09. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas VF-22-Ferrari, +1: 04,308
10. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes W13, +1:13,948
11. Guanyu Zhou (RC), Alfa Romeo C42-Ferrari, +1:22,215
12. Nico Hulkenberg (R), Aston Martin AMR22-Mercedes, +1:31.742
13. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin AMR22-Mercedes, +1 Runde
Out:
— Alex Albon (T), Williams FW44-Mercedes, Crash
— Fernando Alonso (E), Alpine A522-Renault
– Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo C42-Ferrari
– Daniel Ricciardo (AUS), McLaren MCL36-Mercedes
— Nicholas Latifi (CDN), Williams FW44-Mercedes, Crash
— Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri AT03, no start, powertrain
Not at the start:
— Mick Schumacher (D), Haas VF-22-Ferrari, Crash im Qualifying
World Championship Standing Driver
01. Leclerc 45 Punkte
02. Sainz 33
03. Verstappen 25
04. Russell 22
05. Hamilton 16
06. Ocon 14
07. Pérez 12
08. Magnussen 12
09. Bottas 8
10. Norris 6
11. Tsunoda 4
12. Gasly 4
13. Alonso 2
14. Zhou 1
15. Schumacher 0
16. Stroll 0
17. Hülkenberg 0
18. Albon 0
19. Ricciardo 0
20. Latifi 0
World Cup booth designers
01. Ferrari 78
02. Mercedes 38
03. Red Bull Racing 37
04. Alpine 16
05. Haas 12
06. Alfa Romeo 9
07. AlphaTauri 8
08. McLaren 6
09. Aston Martin 0
10. Williams 0