by VALERIO BARRETTA
The difference made by the pilots
Even in a hyper-technological Formula 1, man manages to make the difference. Max proves it Verstappen, capable of winning regularly when Sergio Perez struggles to get into the top-10 in both qualifying and the race. And Lando Norris is also proving it, who without an error at the start and with a better strategy would have fought against the world champion.
Wolff’s words
It is the class of these two drivers that explains the gaps seen in the race: Toto is convinced of this Wolffwho is not surprisingly willing to do anything crazy to bring Verstappen home as soon as possible: “Yes, it’s Max who wins races today“, he commented to Sky Sport F1. “Red Bull is solid, but Sergio Perez is not so good at the moment. It’s Max who makes all the difference“.
As for Mercedes, the W15 confirmed the progress of recent weeks, already glimpsed in Monte-Carlo and highlighted in Montreal. The second podium of the season arrived at Montmeló, but certainly a demanding boss like Wolff cannot be satisfied with one placement: “This third and fourth place represent a solid result. The car ran pretty well, but we also see that something is missing to reach Norris’ speed“.
“Our correlation didn’t work for two years. After Imola, all the steps we took worked much better. They are small steps, but they are marginal gains that make a difference. Today we see a Norris and also a Verstappen who are fast on all circuits. What if we can be strong in the next events? Austria isn’t normally good for us, I don’t know how it will go this year. Silverstone is a circuit we know, with very fast circuits the car worked well“.
