Sport went through the events of the Australian F1 race week. According to expert Jukka Mildh, the situation of the reigning master Max Verstappen is worrying. Charles Leclerc, on the other hand, can shed the ghost of Kimi Räikkönen.
10.4. 13:59 • Updated 10.4. 14:09
Where did the race go?
The third F1 race of the season in Australia was Ferrari Charles Leclercin on the screen. Leclerc led the race from start to finish from the pole position. Red Bullin Max Verstappen at no point was he really able to keep up with the pace of the Monaco.
– The race was decided by Ferrari’s overwhelming pace. Leclerc was in his own class, Sport’s F1 expert Jukka Mildh notes.
The final rivet of the race’s winning streak was seen when Verstappen had to suspend twenty laps before the end of the car’s technical failure. Verstappen reports that he smelled a strange liquid in his car.
The Dutch race engineer immediately asked Verstappen to stop by the track.
– I dare say that without Verstappen’s interruption, Leclerc would have won. Ferrari was really strong, Mildh points out.
Verstappen set his team after the race in an interview with Viaplay while not being able to say the exact reason for his interruption.
– Our car is not in a good situation now. The tires wear out more than a Ferrari and it’s unreliable, Verstappen plagued his team with Viaplay.
On F1TV, Verstappen said the situation is frustrating and such interruptions cannot be allowed when fighting for the championship. Two of the first three races of the reigning champion’s season have now ended in suspension.
Leclerc leads after three races with as many as 34 points ahead of Mercedes George Russelia. Verstappen is only sixth with 25 points to win the Saudi race. The difference with Leclerc is as many as 47 points.
According to Mildh, the situation in Verstappen looks worrying.
– Verstappen said on the team radio that a strange chemical smells in the car. It means some leakage, Mildh said, pondering that there may be a breakdown in some part of the “mark”.
– If the break has been part of the mark, the situation is really worrying.
Mildh finds Verstappen’s interruptions surprising.
– Red Bull should not fall into such mistakes, the expert bundles.
Mildh recalls that in time, Mercedes also built its own period of success partly on good quality control.
– The suspension may be due to Honda’s announcement to withdraw from the role of engine supplier at the end of last season. Verstappen’s failure didn’t look dramatic, but the interruption itself was dramatic, Mildh speculated.
What spoke?
The Australian race weekend once again brought to the surface a pile of talk topics. This time, Mildh considers the atmosphere at the Albert Park track in Melbourne to be the biggest topic of conversation.
According to the race organizers, as many as 420,000 spectators watched the race events over the weekend.
Last year’s heaviest audience was in Austin at the U.S. GP. In Texas, the race was followed by 400,000 spectators, according to organizers.
The heavily rebuilt Albert Park track was raced after a three-year hiatus and for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. In the spring of 2020, the race was canceled due to the corona right on the chalk lines, when the fans were already waiting outside the gates of the track.
MIldh saw this year’s race weekend as a boost for the entire series after the criticized Middle East races.
– Australia’s return to the F1 series after the corona was very successful. 420,000 spectators over the weekend is a significant thing for the F1 circus. The track conspiracy worked after the changes. It was also fortunate that three of the record four DRS areas were abandoned and driven. It made sense to compete, Mildh estimated.
What about Bottas?
Alfa Romeon Valtteri Bottas rose from the 12th starting box to eighth in the race. The Potassium 103 race tube in the final leg of the time trial broke on Saturday as Alfa Romeo decided to focus on the pace of the race at the expense of the time trial.
In the race itself, Bottas was initially unable to take advantage of the smaller rear wing that brought in a tougher straight pace. In the end, though, Bottas got past his rivals, though Lance Stroll he forced him out of the track once.
For Viaplay, Bottas estimates that in the optimum situation, he could have petrified one place past the Alpine Esteban Oconin. Bottas also wondered if Alfa Romeo could bet too much on Sunday’s race.
Mildh held Bottas eighth for maximum performance in terms of car performance. According to the expert, the changes to Alfa Romeo did not bring the necessary benefits in a tight bundle of middle caste.
– It’s hard to get the best performance when driving close to others. The tires work differently. The car’s aerodynamics are also designed to drive in clean air. Bottas did his best and drove the intact race. It was an excellent performance, Mildh describes
According to the expert, the time trial result was reflected in Sunday’s race.
– Now only a strategic selection error was made in the rear wing and other details in time.
Valtteri Bottas and Alfa Romeo have been better off than expected since the beginning of the season. Bottas has a total of 12 points and is in ninth place in the drivers’ leaderboard.
Kimi Raikkonen also came sharply to Alfa Romeo in his time and was in points in his first four races. It was harder after that as others developed faster.
So should the situation of Bottas and Alfa Romeo be concerned, when the Australian race weekend as a whole was not as sparkling as the previous two?
However, according to Mildh, Alfa Romeo also showed its potential during the Australian race weekend and is therefore optimistic about the team’s situation.
The expert also recalls one difference from previous periods. There was a change in the rules for this season, according to which teams that scored less points last season will have more time to develop their car in the wind tunnel this season than the top stables.
– Alfa Romeo has clearly benefited from its weaker points catch last season. Greater wind tunnel time has been utilized. Combined with that of a good Ferrari engine, let’s move on. I think the next race will make it easier for Alfa Romeo to get into the top ten. That’s the key to success, Mildh says.
Surprise
Expert Mildh raises Williams’ biggest surprise in Sunday’s F1 race Alex Albonin.
Albon brought Williams the opening point of the season when he was tenth in the race.
Williams, which collapsed at the bottom of the pack, was sold to a U.S. investment company in August 2020. Last year, Williams flashed from time to time when George Russell there was a fierce struggle for points.
However, the start of this year was not easy for Williams either.
– There is so much sympathy for Williams when you know about the big changes behind it. Albon’s score was a great performance in this situation. The scoresman also says that teams other than the top teams have the opportunity to evolve with the new rules, Mildh rejoices.
Albon returned to the F1 series this season after one gap year. The English-born Thai driver was allowed to leave the top stable at Red Bull at the end of the 2020 season. Mildh rejoiced on behalf of the driver.
– Albon has experienced hard in his career, he reminds.
The flop
According to ‘s F1 expert, the biggest winner of the race and the flop can be found in the same stall. Mildh raises Ferrari on the flop Carlos Sainzin.
Sainz was only ninth in time when teammate Leclerc was on the pole. Due to the hard tire mix, Sainz also immediately dropped several places in the opening round. The Spaniard’s race ended in the second round when he set out to overtake too greedily Valtteri Bottasta. As a result, Sainz ended up on track sand.
– I blame not only Carlos Sainz, but also Ferrari. They have every chance of taking a double win right now. However, the Sainz steering wheel did not work. The new steering wheel was still installed in the wrong way. These are signs of groping, Mildh says.
According to Mildh, Sainz’s overtaking attempt was bad and overly optimistic.
– He tried to fix his situation too quickly. With Ferrari so strong, Sainz’s performance was a flop. Definitely a big setback for the stable. Of course, in terms of team struggle, luck happened in the accident when Verstappen interrupted.
What next?
The F1 season now continues after a gig in the Middle East and Australia on the legendary Imola track.
After the dominance of the Australian race and the terrible beginning of Verstappen, one big question has arisen:
Will Charles Leclerc break the long torment of the Red Or this season? Will Leclerc become Ferrari’s next champion driver then Kimi Räikkönen and 2007?
– Leclerc has every chance to win the world championship, Mildh replies.
Mildh has also noticed how the halo around Leclerc has grown.
– During the Australian race weekend, I noticed Leclerc as an idol challenging Verstappen. Bring a lot of power to the stable that they have such a star, Mildh notes.
According to Mildh, Ferrari would seem to have all the pieces in place this year to get to celebrate both the drivers ’and teams’ championships. The latter, however, requires more even extracts from Carlos Sainz. Above all, the most important piece is a successful engine.
– Team manager Mattia Binotto has succeeded in a situation of change. Ferrari has been able to take advantage of the changes. Sure, there are still 20 races left, Mildh concludes.