Ladies and gentlemen, fasten your seat belts. From 18.00 Italian, 20.00 in Jeddahdarkness will fall in Saudi Arabia and the artificial lights will light up the scene for a race that promises to be full of content, second round of the 2023 F1 World Championship. It starts from Red Bullan amazing single-seater created by the genius Adrian Neweyefficient in the truest sense of the term: amazing top speeds and enviable cornering.
Game, match and match, one might say, but F1 is not tennis and then we will have to wait. Yes, because it’s not just a question of performance, but also of reliability. The Mexican Sergio Perez he perfectly represented the concept of performance, devouring the Saudi asphalt with ease and taking pole. He has his chance Checo because the team-mate, the foreman, is behind.
The Dutch Max Verstappen, during Q2, was stopped by a problem with the axle shaft. It will start from the 15th box Mad Max and a comeback in the style of last year’s Spa-Francorchamps will be necessary. The Dutchman has the option because, as mentioned, the RB19 manages to encompass everything that can be good about an F1 car, from the point of view of lap times.
Certain, Verstappen will have to pay attention to the start, avoiding unnecessary risks that could affect his run. From this situation the two-time world champion has everything to lose, but being a classy and experienced driver, there shouldn’t be any headers. The Monegasque must have the same cold blood Charles Leclerc.
In the time-attack, the Ferrari driver proved to be the best in this particular “exercise”. Having to deal with a Ferrari that struggles in corners and develops top speeds not like Red Bull, having signed a time trial one tenth from Perez, one hundredth less and one hundredth more, can make Charles smile. But there is the blessed one penalty of 10 grid positionswhich translated into 12th place. As a result, a comeback will be required and, considering a race pace that is not RB19, making his way through will not be easy.
A situation in which, behind the Mexican, there is no shortage of contenders for the podium. Fernando Alonso, on Aston Martin, is a candidate, given that speed is also there this weekend, and he is increasingly inspired. The Iberian will have to face it against the Mercedes of George Russell and the compatriot’s Red Carlos Sainz, however always keeping an eye on how and how much Verstappen will be able to go upstream. In all of this, we will also see how he reacts Lewis Hamiltonwhich will start from the seventh pitch, which appeared decidedly subdued.
A GP that could be enlivened by the “Safety Car” factor. Given the presence of low walls very close to the roadway, there could be many interruptions in the race. It is not surprising that, numbers in hand, around 25% of the laps completed in the two previous editions of the race in Jeddah were neutralised. A variable to be taken into account also in the management of the strategy.
Photo: LaPresse
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