Another race, another victory for Max Verstappen. The Dutchman added 58th in his personal tally, ahead of Lando Norris who avoided Red Bull’s double in part also due to a dubious strategy by Red Bull and the idiosyncrasy of Sergio Pérez, 3rd in this race.
With Leclerc 4th, Carlos Sainz was 5th, in a race in which he ran in no man’s land and in which, for the first time this year, he was not on the podium. In general, it was not a comfortable weekend for Ferrari, which in a very busy race (there were two safety car periods) did not show as good a pace as on other Sundays.
Fernando Alonso, 7th at the end, improved the expectations that he himself had put on the table. Despite starting 3rd, he knew he was going to have a very difficult time. With a successful strategy, a great start and hands worthy of the champion that he is, the Asturian got a great result to which was added the extra point of the fastest lap he took from this test.
Departure: Alonso takes the bus
Everything that Fernando Alonso could achieve in this race was to make a good start, for which he had the invaluable help of Sergio Pérez who failed his start. The Mexican did not start as well as the Asturian did, and in the first corners he took second while Max Verstappen escaped hopelessly. In those first laps, it was key to see how Pérez could gain a second from the next pursuer, Lando Norris.
It was not until lap 6 when Checo made Red Bull’s competitive advantage fall under his own weight and got rid of Alonso. Two laps later, Norris did the same, confirming that the podium was too ambitious a goal for the Spaniard. In fact, they immediately went on the conservative side, since the degradation was such that as soon as he crossed the 12th lap he already put on the hard tires.
The race situation was what it was. He already stated before the start that the simulations placed him 9th or 10th, and that the surprise is not so much to see how he falls from the start, but rather how it was possible to classify in the ‘top 3’.
Bottas and the domino effect
Verstappen secured his victory well before the halfway point of the race. The Dutchman was one of those who took the longest in the first round of pit stops, except for Alonso who soon saw how he received an unexpected wild card.
Bottas’s Stake (former Sauber, next Audi) seized and was left stranded in one of the track’s loopholes. First they put out a yellow flag in that area, then a virtual safety car and, at the end and seeing that the car could not move under its own power, a real safety car so that the tow truck could take the Finn’s car to the pits.
In the subsequent stops to put on new wheels, the big surprise was seeing how Alonso put on soft tires. He was the only one to bet on them, since the rest rode hard or, at least, medium. The objective was to try to gain positions by overtaking now and, in the most likely next stop, establish the ‘top 10’. But in the recovery after the neutralized period after the red Mercedes of the organization, mess.
Alonso himself had to dig tires in the first corner because he almost hit Sainz from behind, something that Stroll did not know how to do with Ricciardo who saw how the Canadian from Aston Martin lifted him off the ground with a very strong blow to his rear wing. In the end, the Australian abandoned, something that also happened to the other RB, that of Yuki Tsunoda, whose executioner was an overexcited Kevin Magnussen as always and who hit him on the right rear wheel. Both Stroll, Magnussen and Sargeant (this one for breaking the rule after the safety car) were punished with 10 seconds.
Sainz, top 5; Alonso, 7th and a hit
The last third of the race was marked by everyone’s final pushes. Not counting Verstappen, who if he had had a radio in his car he would have turned it on so he wouldn’t fall asleep, behind him almost everything was still debated. Lando Norris managed to avoid Red Bull’s double, benefiting from the embarrassing performance of Pérez who, having a car for everything, is unable to meet the minimum requirements. The McLaren driver achieved a great 2nd place.
Behind them, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz completed the ‘top 5’, this being the first time this year that the Spaniard from Madrid has not entered the podium in the races he has competed in. However, it is still a memorable start to the campaign for a driver who is actively seeking employment by 2025.
The end of the race for Fernando Alonso was one of those that gives rise to many analyses. After playing against the strategy, and thanks to the fact that there were no more safety cars, reaching the last laps with medium tires allowed him to finish 7th, passing ‘bones’ like Ocon or Hamilton along the way and with a scare Seriously, it’s highlights meat. The Spaniard suffered a ‘hit’, one of those that forces him to change his underwear, when his Aston Martin went backwards in the corner at the entrance to the finish line. Unlike what happened to Sainz in Friday’s qualifying, who ended up spit against the wall, Alonso controlled him and was able to finish 7th without any major problems. Again, above expectations.
Despite the monotony on the podium, it cannot be said that the race in China on its return to the calendar has disappointed. It will be necessary to see if Miami maintains the level.
2024-04-21 09:26:14
#Emperor #Verstappen #adds #continues
