While Sebastian Vettel plays his strengths at the Grand Prix of the Emilia Romagna and launches his best outcome of the current season, Mick Schumacher once again honors his own, individual mistakes. Meanwhile, Red Bull looks at the functioning updates. The findings of the Emilia Romagna GP.
Red bulls updates
Max stages succeeded in Imola something, which was not yet able to do any other driver before. In addition to pole position, fastest race round and the leadership in every round of the race, commonly known as the “Weekend Grand Slam”, the Dutch won on Saturday also in the sprinklace.
That Red Bull would conjure up such a power demonstration on the asphalt on the Autromo Enzo E Dino Ferrari, would probably have believed the fewest. Only two weeks ago in the Melbourne one had had no chance at all against a completely superior Ferrari. For more than 20 seconds, race winner Charles Leclec buzzed on the second placed Sergio Perez at that time. Stappen did not even saw the target flag.
So where is the sudden change in the title race and a completely sovereign victory stagnant at the Emilia-Romagnia-GP? Well, Red Bull brought a larger update package to Imola. Among other things, the RB18 was a new, modified underbody for more contact pressure in front of the cockpit. In addition, the brake cooling was revised at the rear axle to ensure better reliability.
Competitor Ferrari, however, deliberately decided against updates to home race. As a “difficult weekend to get updates,” Ferrari team boss Mattia binotto had referred to in advance. The tight schedule on Friday with just a free training and subsequent qualification and the associated, shortened training time on the race weekend of three on two hours would complicate the evaluation of any new parts.
RB is rewarded for risk appetite
Nevertheless, Red Bull held at the update plan and was ultimately rewarded for it. According to MotorsportChef Helmut Marko, above all, the risk-taking of the team has paid out. “Decisive that we have taken the courage to assemble our upgrade despite only a free training. It all worked, which is why our aerodynamicist is on top of the podium,” said the Austrian after the race.
Also stages were the updates as a profitable step towards the tip. “We had the things better under control than in Australia. I’m just satisfied as we did all the weekend. That we had everything under control is extremely important.”
But not only the new parts at the car have played Red Bull in the cards. Even the lower temperatures in Italy came to the Austrians. So stapping and Perez – unlike in Melbourne – had no time really struggling with the wear of the tires. “We could see that Charles had a little more problems with the front tires than we,” said team boss Christian Horner.
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This had Red Bull “the upper hand” and is also “too much under pressure from Ferrari”. After disappointing in Australia, Imola had been the right answer, so Horner. Imola 2022 would also be a “one of our best results of all time” in the RB story.