Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing’s motorsports adviser, admitted that the team underestimated the power of undercuts at the pit stop at the 2022 F1 opening round at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen didn’t have a chance to overtake Charles Leclerc on the track, so he aimed to pit in first and move forward, but was instructed to run “gentle” on the outlap and succeeded in undercutting. I couldn’t, and it exploded my frustration.
Max Verstappen’s “Well, this is the second time I’ve run properly on the outlap. I was able to move forward with a margin. I will never do this again! The angry radio message was broadcast on the TV feed
With his retirement just before the end of the race, Max Verstappen’s anger became less important, but later on he admits that the team may have taken the lead in the race.
“We underestimated the benefits of undercuts. To be honest,” Helmut Marko admitted.
“Max was told to refrain a bit during the outlap, but if he was in front of Leclerc, it could have been a completely different story. It’s all about our strategy and Max’s. It wasn’t the fault. “
Max Verstappen’s race ended with retirement after the car was completely off and inertially returned to the pits.
In the meantime, Max Verstappen complained about steering issues, and in a post-race interview with Charles Leclerc, he said, “It wasn’t hydraulic, but it wasn’t turning. It was like getting stuck. I was barely able to fly in the high speed corner. “
Regarding steering issues, Helmut Marko revealed exactly what happened.
“There was a problem with the jack on the third step,” Helmut Marko said.
“Something on the steering was damaged when I released the car to bring it down to the ground.”
Max Verstappen endorsed Red Bull Racing’s words and added that prioritizing track positions could open up more opportunities. He also continued to be encouraged by how the new Red Bull Powertrains engine worked overall, he said.
“I think I did better in terms of strategy,” Max Verstappen told reporters in Bahrain.
“At least we had to go more aggressive on that outlap, and we would have been before. We had to see what happened. At least our top speed was good throughout the race. rice field”
Category: Category: F1 / Red bull / F1 Bahrain GP / Max Verstappen