The Austrian GP, which ended with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc’s victory, became the topic of conversation when his teammate Carlos Sainz’s car caught fire. Urheilu’s expert Jukka Mildh criticized the organizers for their slow response to events.
The Formula 1 World Championship in Austria ended with Ferrari Charles Leclerc to the party. However, the victory was seriously threatened in the last laps, when the car’s brake pedal felt strange and the gas did not fully release in the slowest parts of the track. “Hanging” the pedal also affected the operation of the gearbox.
Leclerc drove Red Bull to the victory with a difference of 1.5 seconds to Max Verstappen. Monaco’s Leclerc took second place after Verstappen in the World Cup standings.
Where did the competition end?
Sports expert Jukka Mildh estimated that Leclerc’s victory was due to his great driving skills and the best performance of Ferrari’s tires.
– Leclerc drove excellently and was able to adapt even to the technical faults that appeared at the end. Leclerc changed his driving style as required by the situation, Mildh estimated.
Ferrari was able to test its tires in practice better than Red Bull.
– Ferrari controlled the changes in the characteristics of the tires. The Red Bull team’s Tire sets did not work when the temperatures varied, Mildh stated.
– The biggest speed difference between Ferrari and Red Bull was due to the tires. But in addition, Leclerc drove a great race and controlled the situation sovereignly. He already announced in Saturday’s sprint race that they would be the fastest. And so they were.
What are we talking about?
The Ferrari drivers were close to the jackpot until Carlos Sainz sky ended in a dramatic way.
– It was quite a disaster for Ferrari, because they were crushing Red Bull. There was a big explosion in the engine, parts flew along the track, and the car caught fire again, Mildh said.
Mildh would have liked the stewards to have reacted more quickly.
– The stewards didn’t immediately go to Sainz’s car, even though they saw everything on TV. The car caught fire really quickly with big flames. The situation could have been even crazier when the car was still moving backwards, Mildh pointed out.
Sainz was in great danger when he did not immediately get out of the sea of flames.
– The car started to burn really well, the situation was very dangerous, but luckily Sainz had fire-resistant driving equipment. He could handle the heat, but it could have been worse, Mildh reminded.
What about Bottas?
Alfa Romeo’s Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas started the race behind everyone else, but came in 11th place.
– It is clear that Bottas’ race was already destroyed at the point when the engine had to be changed. He had to start from the back, and the team still decided to leave the pit, said Mildh.
Alfa Romeo had another difficult weekend.
– Alfa Romeo and Bottas are in a difficult situation because the other teams are constantly faltering. We should get rid of the technical problems, hopefully the car’s new power source will bring good results in the future, Mildh thought.