Ferrari reveals how they planned to destabilise the race of Max Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix and how they got successful.
The Austrian Grand Prix was somewhat successful for Ferrari as they managed to win after several hiccups in the race. Though, they could have achieved more had Carlos Sainz finished the race.
His race was spoilt by an unprecedented engine failure, which made his car burn in flames. Nevertheless, Leclerc winning in Austria was a relief for the Monegasque, as he managed to hold onto the title fight as the summer break approached.
But winning against Max Verstappen at the Red Bull ring was no easy task. Ferrari now claims their plan in winning was to destabilise the Dutchman. The Maranello-based team explains how they did it.
“Our main aim on Sunday was to destabilise Verstappen,” said Ferrari head of strategy Iñaki Rueda. “To put pressure on him and persuade him to stop very early for a sub-optimal two-stop race.
“Charles put enough pressure to actually overtake Verstappen, and Carlos was coming to overtake him. This persuaded Verstappen to stop very early, as early as lap 13. This was too early for an optimum two-stop race, so we had reached our first objective.”
Also read: Enzo Fittipaldi begs Charles Leclerc and Zhou Guanyu to recreate their funny TikTok video
Charles Leclerc needs to gain maximum in the next two races
With just two more races to go before the summer break, Verstappen sits with a comfortable lead of 38 points after 11 races into the season. Thus, for the Monegasque, it is vital for him to cut down on his deficit.
In the recent races, Ferrari has been questioned on their strategies. Adding to poor reliability, both drivers have been affected in optimising their points in the standings.
So, Leclerc and even Sainz have been little at fault. It’s Ferrari which has to improve on its tactics and decision-making. One positive for the Italian giants has been that their upgrades have been spot on and have quickly improved their car’s calibre.
#AMuS Michael Schmidt: “Ferrari doesn’t bring many upgrades but the ones they do bring work. Perhaps their best upgrade was the new rear wing in Montreal. It’s a bit more efficient & reduced the top speed deficit. And that gives Ferrari more freedom in the setup now.”
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) July 12, 2022
“Ferrari has a very good car. What surprises me is that everyone copies the Red Bull, but no one copies the Ferrari. Which simply shows that no team knows why the Ferrari is so fast,” said Mercedes’ Michael Schmidt.
Also read: Mick Schumacher’s mind blowing coincidence with father Michael Schumacher 25 years later in Austria
