The Austrian GP and the ninth round of the F1 World Championship – second race in seven days at the Red Bull Ring in Zeltweg – explained what Max Verstappen’s secret job: the house painter. He took a tin and a brush and gave another one extended hand of «orange» on a championship that is also tinged with Red Bull’s blue-Honda. But after painting, the flying Dutchman also “stripped”: look ranking and discards. He did so above all against the black-silver of the Mercedes, again struggling with an indisputable wood: the revolution is close to consolidating, the SuperMax championship escape (+32 on Hamilton) is on record.
The orange world: 10 and praise
The novelty-Verstappen is also linked to the masses of fans that this driver is now able to move: the orange world, which moreover moves in difficult moments and restrictions, is a picturesque and folkloristic reality that recalls other sporting “transhumances”, such as those for Valentino Rossi in motorcycles or for Alberto Tomba in skiing or, just to stay in winter sports, those of the Poles who hired dozens and dozens of coaches to follow their champions of the jump from the trampoline. Betrayed by footballers, the Netherlands today elected SuperMax as their national deity.
Max Verstappen: 10th lode
If everything is so easy with this Red Bull, you try to beat Hamilton and the Mercedes, to snatch pole positions with crazy laps, to keep a teammate at a distance who is not “sitting” anyway … This is to say that the handle also has to do with it. , as well as an unreal car (adjective spent by the driver): at 23 years and a handful of months, Max is in his fifteenth victory and fiftieth podium. They recall the statistics relating to the “top three” which at his age Hamilton had 21 podiums and Michael Schumacher 7. If he will also blow up Silvertsone, the last Mercedes fort left untouched, only a biblical misfortune in the rest of the season will deprive him of his first and deserved title.
Lando Norris: 9
Driver of the day, according to the fans: the verdict is just right because Lando has taken another step towards that greatness which, moreover, has already been certified by Lewis Hamilton in a comment via radio. He discounts the rather fiscal “arbitration” meter on hand-to-hand combat and has to pay duty for pushing Perez on the sand: other times certain duels – and here the one in 2019 between Verstappen and Leclerc comes to mind, right in Zeltweg – are classified as accidents of race. Without the punishment of the 5 ” Lando would have been able to close behind Verstappen and not on the minor podium.
Carlos Sainz: 8.5
Ferrari models a precise suit for him – stay out as much as possible on hard compound tires – and Carlos wears it to perfection. He also has the tactical sensitivity to wait for his moment: when he arrives, he goes wild and the overtaking on Ricciardo is a jewel that brings fifth place, thanks to Perez’s penalty.
Valtteri Bottas: 8
Second place and second podium in a row, this time he does everything right and is once again the forward spearhead of Mercedes trying to raise the bar at least in the Constructors’ World Championship. He will get the recording of the radio communication in which the team authorizes him to attack and overtake Hamilton: usually in the past the opposite has happened and on the threshold of a probable dismissal (Russell is on the way, it remains to be understood if immediately or in 2022) , it’s music to his ears. But now go and pull out your anoraks: a Bottas like this is likely to make it snow.
George Russell: 7,5
Great qualifying and then again a brave race, in which however Williams, once more, made him lack full support. He was chasing the first points with the team that made him debut in F1, but the old pirate Fernando Alonso (vote 8 for the desire to drive this Alpine) snatched the tenth place from him. But take comfort: Mercedes is about to welcome him and there the points will run out.
Ferrari: 7
Another Sunday of redemption after Saturday’s penitential qualification: Carlos Sainz spoke of a Red that in the corners is worth those of the three teams in front. The choice of mismatching the strategies was successful, but there remains a doubt about the possible missed undercut of Leclerc on Ricciardo. But team principal Binotto points out that Charles, despite having given up his position at the pit stop, found himself in a position to attack Perez and then also Ricciardo. The SF21 will never be what it is not, that is, a sprinter, and no one is under the illusion that this is the season of miracles. Rather, Silverstone arrives and perhaps it will be better to prepare the helmets for a battle that promises to be very tough.
Daniel Ricciardo: 7
He still doesn’t have the right feeling – especially in braking management – with a McLaren that is fast and agile. The gap from Norris is still clear and is there to be seen. But Daniel played perhaps the best race with the team that enlisted him from 2021 onwards. And this is not good news for Ferrari, which is competing for the podium in the constructors’ championship against papaya-colored cars. The danger for the Cavallino is that Ricciardo, as a good Australian, will now find the leaps of the kangaroos.
Charles Leclerc: 7
When the show attracts performers, Leclerc in the cast is always found. Overtaking, incisiveness, desire to bite: Charles once again unveils his repertoire. Perez sent him off track not once but twice and his GP ran aground in the sand. Moreover, he will have to learn that it is not always possible to attack and take the world head on: sometimes you have to be patient and get around it.
Sergio Perez: 4.5
He traded the Red Bull Ring for a Mexican arena where cocks are fought. Of course, first they do it to him (Norris who closes it and gets punishment), but then, since this is the trend of the day, Sergio makes up for it with interests and twice puts Leclerc in his sights, perhaps trusting that, at the helm of Red Bull, you can have impunity. But the referee this time used the most severe yardstick.
Yuki Tsunoda: 4
He continues to accumulate penalty after penalty, this time two for having stepped on the white line upon returning to the pit lane. In a while, a doll will win.
Nicholas Latifi and Nikita Mazepin: 3
The Haas Russian is invariably last (and collector of penalties), while the second Williams driver never gets the ball in front of Russell. In boxing they would have already been removed from the ring for manifest inferiority.
Kimi Raikkonen: 2
He falls into a misunderstanding: he thinks the “last round” is “Another Round”, the recent film about drunken Danish professors. So he roughly touches Sebastian Vettel and sends the former Ferrari teammate on the gravel. Kimi in Portimao had already made a “strike” against Giovinazzi, his colleague at Alfa Romeo: not a good sign …
July 4th 2021 (change July 4th 2021 | 20:07)
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