What was the blocking episode of the F1 weekend about? A scathing assessment of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell from an expert

Red Bull Max Verstappen continued his superior performance in the seventh race of the F1 season, the Spanish GP.

Verstappen joined the Mercedes drivers on the podium at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, when Lewis Hamilton was another and George Russell third by Red Bull Sergio Perez was fourth.

It was a difficult weekend for Ferrari and Aston Martin. It was especially dark for Alfa Romeo, who finished 19th For Valtteri Bottas.

We went through the talking points of the F1 weekend with Urheilu’s expert Jukka Mildhin with.

What solved it?

At the start of the race, Verstappen, 25, had a Ferrari held behind him from the second grid Carlos Sainz, although Sainz had a softer tire compound. After that, Verstappen once again dominated the race sovereignly and kept his lead even during the pit stops.

– The solution once again came from Verstappen’s performance, the man is in full control. The Barcelona track is ideal for Red Bull’s super fast and aerodynamically strong car, Jukka Mildh summarizes.

– The only concern was the second set of tires, which wore out faster than expected.

Verstappen and Perez started with medium tires while the others started with soft tires. After 26/66 laps had been driven, hard tires were changed for Verstappen.

At one point it seemed that Red Bull and Mercedes would try a one-stop tactic, but in the end all the top drivers also made a second stop and finished with soft tires.

In Mildh’s opinion, Verstappen seems to be enjoying driving more and more, which speaks to the fact that the car is being developed more and more precisely specifically for the Dutch champion.

Perez has won two races this season, but has messed up accordingly. He has already ruined his chances in the time trials in Barcelona, ​​Australia and Monaco.

At the end of the race in Barcelona, ​​there were still strange moments when Verstappen was warned for the third violation of the track limits. The next foul would have resulted in a five-second penalty, which of course would not have threatened the win.

On the team radio, Verstappen was asked if he could just focus on staying within the limits. Still, Verstappen wanted to take the fastest lap from his teammate.

– Verstappen is still pushing the limits in every race, even at risk when the car is in full control. Crossing the track lines three times in a clear lead position is by no means common. Then obvious risks should be avoided.

What speaks?

Mercedes is in a very interesting situation. It is also one of the current topics of conversation in the pit.

– Clearly, the moods of the drivers, between Hamilton and Russell, are starting to heat up.

In qualifying on Saturday, Russell and Hamilton collided on the main straight. Team manager Toto Wolff according to him it was a communication error when Russell did not receive instructions from Hamilton behind him.

Hamilton was hot on the heels of the situation, but after qualifying the drivers downplayed the incident and appeared conciliatory. Other views were also presented.

Former F1 driver, Sky Sports expert Ralf Schumacher experiencedthat Russell closed the route on purpose.

– The young challenger displaces the number one driver. They don’t get along very well anyway, Schumacher added.

2016 world champion, who drove as Hamilton’s teammate Nico Rosberg stated that there was a fault in both drivers.

– It was unfortunate, but I believe that there will be serious discussions in the team. We mustn’t forget that this competition inside Mercedes is already fierce: George really wants to put pressure on Lewis.

Mildh also reminds us that it is not uncommon for sentiments to escalate against Hamilton.

– The blocking episode seen on Saturday is a sign that the internal atmosphere is heating up. It also indicates that Hamilton is getting his way with his engineers on how to develop the car.

In the competition, Mercedes succeeded brilliantly. The team brought a significant upgrade package to Barcelona, ​​Mildh points out.

– Mercedes has developed tremendously. It was a very strong performance from Mercedes while Ferrari flopped badly. The World Championship battle changed over time, when Aston Martin was also clearly behind Mercedes.

– Mercedes has found the right design strategy and made radical but successful changes.

A flop

Ferrari failed, even though, like Mercedes, they brought a significant upgrade package to Barcelona.

– Things in the team are not progressing in the right way. Sure Carlos Sainz drove second in qualifying and fifth in the race. However, the fact that you start from the front row and don’t do well at all is clearly a big failure when you’re still in traffic with new parts.

Charles Leclerc started the race from the pits, because he had stayed in the 19th grid during qualifying and complained about problems with his car. Significant changes were made to Leclerc’s car after qualifying. The suspension was modified and the gearbox was also changed just to be safe. In the race, Leclerc was unable to gain points.

Aston Martin was also silent. Fernando Alonso had driven to the podium in five of the six races. Now he was seventh, and Lance Stroll finished sixth.

– Sure, Stroll and Alonso took honorable places, but the team lost second place to Mercedes in the manufacturers’ series.

Alonso broke the bottom plate of his car in the opening section of qualifying, but eventually made it to the ninth box. According to Mildh, the breakdown of the bottom plate messed up the garage pack badly, and when the car was modified, it also wore a lot more tires.

– Aston Martin has shone so much this season that this was the harsh truth, how quickly the situation can change in F1, Mildh justifies the promotion of Aston Martin as a flop.

Surprise

In a positive sense, Mildh raises Alfa Romeo as a surprise Zhou Guanyun ninth place. The Chinese got points for the second time this season. He was ninth in Australia as well.

– It was a fresh and brave performance, although Alfa’s performance is not flattering now. The team allowed Zhou to drive freely and take risks.

Zhou said after the race that he drove the best race of his career.

Alfa Romeo’s strategy also worked for Zhou. Although Bottas’ race was dismal personally, he was used to slow down other drivers during the race, especially during the pit stop. Through this, Zhou was able to make a difference to the drivers of other teams coming behind.

What about Bottas?

Bottas, who started from grid 16, drove at the tail end of the entire race.

– There was no momentum at any point. It would be nice to say why, but I don’t know, Bottas wondered on Viaplay after the race and complained about the car’s grip, especially in fast corners.

In Mildh’s opinion, Bottas was badly at Zhou’s feet throughout the weekend.

– The team mate was able to get more out of his car and tires, trusted his car and took more risks.

In the race, Bottas had no other task than to drive to the finish line and fight against the worst rivals, helping Zhou.

– Of course, Bottas gave everything in the race within the limits of what the car is capable of. Still, the second-to-last place in the results list looks mostly embarrassing. Something should start happening, Mildh downloads.

What next?

The next race is the Canadian race at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 18.

– I believe that the race itself will tighten, especially between Aston Martin and Mercedes. I hope that Ferrari will also get on board, Mildh thinks.

The expert believes that strong performances can be expected from both Mercedes drivers in the future. The team has emerged as a strong candidate for the second place among manufacturers.

– Nothing can stop Verstappen and Red Bull. There aren’t really any other winning candidates for the Games.