Max’s lessons, Lewis’ return. Another Ferrari disappointment
«I lost the race at the start, a shame because we had a super car». Another regret, another missed opportunity. In Canada he had taken it out on the strategy and the team, this time on himself: “I made a mistake.” The difference between an excellent driver and a champion, Norris left an opening for Verstappen and it devoured him. A few meters away, Russell takes advantage of the marking of the first twotakes the lead and overtakes everyone from fourth position.
But he doesn’t last long up there, because Max hammers in the first laps and attacks him mercilessly. Lando has to reconstruct his race, while the Ferrari never took part in the race. And the only sparks came in the home duel at the start when Carlos outmaneuvered Charles and he got angry. The positions were reversed in the end between team orders and questionable strategies, which change nothing at the end of an exam that went badly, very badly. There wasn’t the pace in qualifying and there wasn’t even in the race, Leclerc with the fastest tires wasn’t even able to take fourth place away from Russell who was traveling on the hard tires.
Mercedes takes the podium for the second race in a row, this time with Lewis Hamilton who hadn’t seen the top 3 since last year. In the week of the anonymous email story. Toto Wolff’s team, Vasseur’s team, however, declines and is currently the fourth force. After the disaster in Canada, they finished fifth and sixth on the track that more than anyone else identifies the strengths and limitations of a single-seater. The developments didn’t work, Charles finished with a gap of 22”7 from Verstappen. An eternity. In Barcelona, since the track changed, the corners have become almost as fast as those at Silverstone. And the Red is struggling. A terrible way to open the European hat-trick, the month with five appointments in six weeks. The triumph in Monaco had deluded and raised expectations beyond measure. From Catalonia comes a cold shower and the awareness of having to work in a fight now at 3-4 where the usual phenomenal Verstappen continues to make the difference.
Perez, who saw it? He started eleventh and finished eighth, behind him in the points we see the Alpines again with Gasly and Ocon, for Briatore a small joy at his first as a special consultant. The Verstappen era began in Barcelona in 2016, the legend of the Dutchman continues. But the others are arriving, it’s a shame that Ferrari is at the bottom of the group.
