Monday, May 27, 2024, 2:53 p.m.
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Max Verstappen was extremely bored in Monaco. He said it on the radio, when he asked that they bring him a pillow, and he insisted later, when in the corralito with the journalists he proposed to George Russell, from Mercedes, to go running around the circuit on foot to exercise, because he had barely suffered. physically and wanted to stay in shape. He was not the only one, since even Charles Leclerc, the brand new winner, did not have much concern beyond getting the car to the finish line, which is not little and much less in his case.
But beyond the blandness of the race, both for him and for others (“it has been very boring,” stated Fernando Alonso, 11th), in the case of Verstappen and Red Bull in general it has not been a good weekend. . On the one hand, Sergio Pérez confirmed in the classification that he is occupying a seat in a winning car that others well deserve above him, and then on Sunday he actively participated in the serious accident he had with Kevin Magnussen: the Dane overshot He was undoubtedly optimistic, but he also should have been aware that another car was coming from his right.
Without the Mexican, all options included Max Verstappen who for the first time this season did not start from pole. And in a circuit where winning from further back than 3rd on the grid is almost a chimera, he practically said goodbye to his options before leaving. It was not their weekend, and at Red Bull they are aware of it. It’s not that the alarms have gone off, because they still have an advantage over their rivals, but seeing how the championship had started, reaching the ninth round of the World Championship with ‘only’ a 31-point lead is not what Verstappen expected.
And the other teams have stepped up. Both McLaren and Ferrari have significantly reduced the technical difference they had with Red Bull, which, while still the benchmark, has to begin to consider that the coin will not always turn out heads. In Imola, Verstappen won by just 7 tenths with Norris who pushed him until the end, and in Monaco not even a creative strategy (if there was one) benefited his interests. The Dutchman is aware that at any moment either Leclerc, Sainz, Norris or Piastri could seriously jeopardize his status as championship leader, something that at the moment is guaranteed for at least two races but without much more margin. Because the Gilles Villeneuve of Canada, a winding circuit with walls (he has not yet ‘tasted’ the famous one of the champions) on the sides does not leave much room for relaxation.
Ferrari, on the rise: Sainz’s claim
The bells of the Church of San Blas, at the entrance to Maranello, rang in victory. It is one of the most classic traditions of Formula 1: if Ferrari wins, the bells of the Cavallino’s hometown ring. It was in honor of Charles Leclerc who had not reached the top of the box since Austria 2022, and also achieved it in Monaco where he was born and raised. He well deserved the joy he got, with everyone in charge at Ferrari congratulating himself that his ‘Predestinato’ broke his particular local curse.
Sainz was less affectionate with those who are still his bosses, naturally. Fred Vasseur is responsible for firing him to put Lewis Hamilton there in 2025, an understandable decision if you look at the record of both, but that does not mean it will be accepted in good taste. Sainz does not hide it either: when John Elkann, the president of Ferrari, went to hug him as soon as he arrived on the steps of the Automobile Club of Monaco, Sainz barely shook his hand as if he were just another mechanic, and immediately broke away from his embrace. to take a selfie with the mechanics. He no longer has to keep up with the man who, a year later, has decided to sign his dismissal.
Sainz’s 20th podium with Ferrari, fourth in 2024 with three third places and one victory, is one more line in his argument to convince a team to sign him. The rumor mill links him to Williams, which is like buying an old house because it has history but having to live among leaks because it is destroyed. With the focus on Audi for 2026, the Madrid native continues to make calls and make calls to try to find a place to pass in 2025. Without stridency or raising his voice more than necessary, but firmly based on results, Sainz continues to demonstrate that Dispensing with him on next year’s grid would be a notable loss, and not only for the Spanish fans.
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2024-05-27 12:53:24
#Verstappen #human #World #Cup
