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“One more lap, and Sergio Perez would have passed Charles Leclerc too”- Red Bull chief explains why things went downhill for Ferrari at the F1 Sprint in Imola

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"One more lap, and Sergio Perez would have passed Charles Leclerc too"- Red Bull chief explains why things went downhill for Ferrari at the F1 Sprint in Imola

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko feels that Ferrari suffered the same problems in Charles Leclerc’s car they encountered in Australia. 

Leclerc’s F1 Sprint got off to a very strong start, as he jumped Max Verstappen on the very first lap. He also put some daylight between him and the Red Bull driver, with the gap of more than two seconds at one stage.

However, towards the end, we saw Verstappen make a late but effective push. It ended in the Dutchman overtaking Leclerc’s F1-75 to take home eight points, and the first Sprint win of the year.

After the race, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko spoke to the media, and explained why they had such an advantage towards the end. The 78-year old previously admitted that they suffered tyre graining issues in the last round in Melbourne. Marko feels that Ferrari encountered the very same problems, which led to a drop off in pace.

“The graining problems that we had in Australia hit Ferrari here,” he said to Servus TV. “One more lap and then Perez would have passed too.”

Also read: Charles Leclerc reveals what mistake he made in F1 Sprint duel with Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen felt that the Ferrari was faster than his Red Bull on Saturday

Verstappen did hold on to P1 in the Sprint, but he’s wary of the Ferrari’s strong pace. He feels that the only reason he managed to get past Leclerc was because the Monegasque lost out on his tyres.

“We had to stay calm and it initially looked like Charles was actually having a bit more pace,” the Dutchman said. “But then I think he ran out of tyres and we could close the gap and then go for the move into turn two.”

“I know maybe tomorrow it might be again a bit different but for sure today it worked out for us to be on this compound. So I’m very happy to have a clean sprint race at the end.”

Verstappen managed to gain eight points that helped him move past Lewis Hamilton into fifth in the Championship. It has been a difficult start for the defending World Champion, mainly because of the Red Bull’s reliability woes.

He will be looking forward to closing the gap to runaway leader Charles Leclerc on Sunday.

Also read: Max Verstappen offends his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase at the Imola Sprint race

    About the author

    Somin Bhattacharjee

    Somin Bhattacharjee

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    Basketball Editor Somin Bhattacharjee first discovered the game during the 2014 FIBA World Cup. Not long after, he turned to the NBA and found himself drawn to the Golden State Warriors — right at the start of Stephen Curry’s rise. Over time, the admiration turned into full-blown support for the team, one that continues even as the Curry era approaches its twilight. A true hoophead, Somin also follows EuroLeague basketball closely and enjoys exploring the game beyond the NBA. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. Since 2021, he has penned over 3,000 articles for TheSportsRush, covering everything from breaking news to sharp opinion pieces and detailed exclusives. He thrives on writing about in-game moments and the reactions that make basketball a uniquely emotional sport. Beyond basketball, Somin plays different sports including soccer and remains a passionate fan of Spanish football giants Real Madrid

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