CHENNAI: The Formula One season is slowly beginning to heat up. Reigning champion Max Verstappen , known for his dominant early starts in recent years, has had a surprisingly slow beginning this time. With just two wins from seven races, the Red Bull driver has not quite hit his usual stride.
But in Imola last week, the 27-year-old reminded everyone of his prowess, pulling off a crucial victory that placed him 22 points behind leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren. Former F1 driver David Coulthard , who had finished on the podium 62 times, heaped praise on Verstappen for his Imola performance. “Verstappen has been phenomenal and he is the driver of this generation. The way he seized control of the race in Imola was the confirmation as to why he is the world champion,” Coulthard said during an interaction facilitated by FanCode.
“The thing that may help Max is the fact that McLaren are taking points off each other in terms of the drivers’ championship. But in the end, I think that unless there is a major change in the performance of the cars, McLaren have the upper hand and therefore it is for those two drivers to slug it out. And so far, you have got to say it is an advantage for Oscar.”
Of the 131 points Red Bull have secured as a team, 124 have come from Verstappen. While Verstappen is third in the individual standings, Piastri (146) and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris (133) occupy the first and second spots respectively. Oscar, in particular, has stood out, having won three successive races prior to Imola.
“Oscar has improved his performance in qualifying from last year. He has understood how to make the Pirellis (tyre) work, and how to exploit the car in qualifying. He is using his experience. Mentor Mark Webber is helping Piastri as he knows how to manage the pace of a season and a Grand Prix. Oscar is being guided well and he has been impressive. I am surprised that Lando has not looked as settled because he is mature enough.”
‘Ferrari an upgrade away from dominance’
After pre-season testing in Bahrain, it looked like Ferrari would have a good season with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. But they have not looked at their best with Charles Leclerc yet to get going. In Imola, Hamilton finished fourth after starting 12th and had a good race overall.
“I guess there is no bigger pressure or expectation than on the Ferrari team as it is the most famous name in Formula One since the beginning. Ferrari had made headway last year, they seem to be stronger in some ways. This year so far, they have shown some flashes with Lewis winning in Shanghai (sprint) and then the very strong pace of the car in Imola. They are an upgrade away from delivering dominant performances and have to figure out how to get other things sorted as well.”
But in Imola last week, the 27-year-old reminded everyone of his prowess, pulling off a crucial victory that placed him 22 points behind leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren. Former F1 driver David Coulthard , who had finished on the podium 62 times, heaped praise on Verstappen for his Imola performance. “Verstappen has been phenomenal and he is the driver of this generation. The way he seized control of the race in Imola was the confirmation as to why he is the world champion,” Coulthard said during an interaction facilitated by FanCode.
“The thing that may help Max is the fact that McLaren are taking points off each other in terms of the drivers’ championship. But in the end, I think that unless there is a major change in the performance of the cars, McLaren have the upper hand and therefore it is for those two drivers to slug it out. And so far, you have got to say it is an advantage for Oscar.”
Of the 131 points Red Bull have secured as a team, 124 have come from Verstappen. While Verstappen is third in the individual standings, Piastri (146) and his McLaren teammate Lando Norris (133) occupy the first and second spots respectively. Oscar, in particular, has stood out, having won three successive races prior to Imola.
“Oscar has improved his performance in qualifying from last year. He has understood how to make the Pirellis (tyre) work, and how to exploit the car in qualifying. He is using his experience. Mentor Mark Webber is helping Piastri as he knows how to manage the pace of a season and a Grand Prix. Oscar is being guided well and he has been impressive. I am surprised that Lando has not looked as settled because he is mature enough.”
‘Ferrari an upgrade away from dominance’
After pre-season testing in Bahrain, it looked like Ferrari would have a good season with the arrival of Lewis Hamilton. But they have not looked at their best with Charles Leclerc yet to get going. In Imola, Hamilton finished fourth after starting 12th and had a good race overall.
“I guess there is no bigger pressure or expectation than on the Ferrari team as it is the most famous name in Formula One since the beginning. Ferrari had made headway last year, they seem to be stronger in some ways. This year so far, they have shown some flashes with Lewis winning in Shanghai (sprint) and then the very strong pace of the car in Imola. They are an upgrade away from delivering dominant performances and have to figure out how to get other things sorted as well.”
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