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At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen overtook Charles Leclerc four laps from the finish. A question of settings!
While the Ferrari F1-75 had been tuned with strong downforce throughout the weekend, the Red Bull RB18 started the race with less pronounced wings.
Suddenly, during the Grand Prix of Saudi Arabia, Charles Leclerc was the fastest in acceleration and in the slow corners, while Max Verstappen, just behind him, was faster on the straights.
And in the end, that’s what allowed the Dutchman to take the lead and keep it. “Max had more downforce than us during Friday practice, but then his team reduced their wings, while we decided to keep the version with more downforce,” said Mattia Binotto, Ferrari boss. “I think their choice must be well analyzed on our side. Set-up is always a matter of compromise, and sometimes small details can decide the outcome of the race.”
Max Verstappen, for his part, explained that only the hard tires allowed him to take the lead: “With the medium tires at the start of the race, I mightn’t get closer than half a second to the front car. It was a little frustrating, I just had to wait for the tire changes… but as soon as they put the hard tires on me, my feelings were very different, the performance didn’t drop anymore.
Mercedes still “very far”
When Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line, in tenth position, he asked his flight engineer by radio “if there were still points for this place”. We do not know if this was pure irony, or if the Briton was really unaware that the regulations award points until tenth place.
During the race he had climbed all the way up to sixth place, before the virtual safety car – combined with the closing of the pit entrance – ruined his strategy and relegated him to tenth place. “We have a lot of work, we are still very far from the guys in front, added Lewis Hamilton. It’s going to be very long! We need more grip and more power.”
In the race, the two Mercedes no longer suffered from porpoising thanks to adjustments that raised the chassis – to the detriment of performance.
At the end of the race, the seven-time world champion even struggled to get closer to the Haas of Kevin Magnussen – he finished behind. “I don’t know if we will be able to find a solution to our problems, or if it will take several,” concluded Lewis Hamilton.
Total Wolff: “an exercise in humility”
Toto Wolff, team boss, was devastated following the race. “It was a great race. As a shareholder of F1, we can only rejoice to see great Grands Prix. But on the other hand, it is very painful not to be part of the duel in the lead. We won’t rest until we’re back on top, and it’s not going to be fun. It’s kind of an exercise in humility, but in the end, it’s going to make us stronger.”