Conclusions of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

11/02/2020 World



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The history of Formula 1 continued to be made at Imola when Mercedes became the first team to win seven consecutive World Constructors’ Championship titles.

Here are our takeaways from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, when Lewis Hamilton led Valtteri Bottas in another one-two for the sport’s dominant manufacturer.

Hamilton won his share of luck

“The more I work, the luckier I get,” was a quote attributed to South African golf legend Gary Player. It could also have applied to Lewis Hamilton at Imola when the Virtual Safety Car was implemented.

We are not saying this was a serendipitous victory for Hamilton, because it was fully deserved. The dizzying laps he took before his pit stop, which made the overcut on Valtteri Bottas and Max Verstappen possible regardless of what happened afterwards, were those of a future seven-time World Champion.

But the way the VSC period fell, following Esteban Ocon’s retirement, was the perfect example of someone receiving a piece of luck that had been fully earned. It meant all the pressure was out of the pit stop, as it took Hamilton just 17 seconds instead of 27.

Most likely, Hamilton would have won anyway, as Bottas sustained damage to the floor of his Mercedes, costing him his pace and Verstappen flipped after suffering a sudden puncture to the right rear of his Red Bull . It was never in doubt, even when the Safety Car itself appeared towards the end.

And this was a fitting way for Mercedes to close title number seven in a row. It has been a fall of continued celebration for them and Hamilton, who, of course, equaled and then surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record for career victories.

That’s 93 victories now for the 35-year-old Briton and it wouldn’t be surprising if 94 would result in his own seventh World Championship title in Turkey on November 15.

Better alpha

Pierre Gasly, AlphaTauri for Conclusions

Another team that may be delighted with their weekend’s work at Imola is AlphaTauri, even though they suffered the abject disappointment of having to recall Pierre Gasly’s car on lap nine due to a coolant leak, a problem that it became apparent for the first time on the grill.

However, a second row outing for the Frenchman represented a huge step forward and his teammate Daniil Kvyat showed Gasly what may well have been possible in the race as he challenged Daniel Ricciardo at the finish for the finish position of the podium.

The Russian’s passes to Sergio Pérez, Alex Albon and Charles Leclerc after the Safety Car restart, albeit on cooler tires than the last pair, highlighted how fast the AlphaTauri was on this circuit and there is no doubt now that the team with Italy-based company is making great strides in the midfield battle.

It was also a timely reminder of Kvyat’s talent just as it looks like his seat will be taken by Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda next year, while Gasly’s weekend further enhanced his own reputation.

Although he appears to have missed a promotion back to Red Bull, the Italian Grand Prix winner must be feeling quite encouraged at the prospect of being the undisputed team leader in an improving AlphaTauri team next year.

Perez podium scuppers strategy

Racing-Point-PA for conclusions

Sergio Pérez knew, when he spoke immediately after the race, that Racing Point’s decision to put him under the safety car had cost him a first podium since Azerbaijan in 2018.

It was certainly a shame, given that the Mexican had worked his way up from a starting position of P11 after a long first period, although he was helped considerably when Kevin Magnussen, in a similar strategy, had delayed some of his eventual rivals by ‘lo best of the rest ‘behind the duo of Mercedes.

Giving up on track position under the safety car proved to be the wrong move, but once again Pérez proved it is unfathomable why he doesn’t have a unit ready for 2021 yet.

Martin Brundle described it during the race as “a sham”, and especially considering that Pérez is P6 in the World Championship, 13 points behind Daniel Ricciardo in P4, having missed two races when he tested positive for COVID-19.

Lousy LS

Sorry, Lance Stroll, but we couldn’t resist that game with the name of the Salfordian match painter (LS Lowry, of course).

Racing Point boss Otmar Szafnauer said that Stroll would return to his best at Imola after missing the Eifel Grand Prix and having a race to forget in Portugal when he was still a bit rusty after recovering from illness.

But it was kind of a Halloween weekend horror show for the Canadian who qualified in P15, he was involved in first lap contact with Ocon when he lost a piece of his front wing and then blamed the “cold brakes “for knocking down one of his boxes. crew when stopped for new tires.

We said it last week, but it bears repeating: Sebastian Vettel and Stroll come in, Pérez out when Racing Point becomes Aston Martin next season certainly doesn’t seem judged by its current form, the smartest move.

And the rest …

Alex Albon will surely be out of his misery for Red Bull in no time.

Another run in midfield and a spin when Perez passed it, which meant he crossed the line last, sent his team scoreless, and could spell salvation for Perez in terms of employment next year.

Or suspect that if Max Verstappen has his way, a return to the grid from teammate Nico Hulkenberg.

Kimi Raikkonen and Antonio Giovinazzi showed why Alfa Romeo kept faith in them by finishing P9 and P10, the Finn aided by an opening run of 48 laps and then a switch to soft tires.

Vettel was another long runner, which seemed to pay off well until Ferrari spoiled their pit stop. Another ultimately frustrating day for the German.

The same thing happened with George Russell, only in his case the anguish was created by himself, and he knew it.

A first points result for the Williams driver was clearly possible when he turned behind the Safety Car as he tried to warm up his tires, which actually helped extend the neutralized period as he scattered debris and Styrofoam fragments from the markers all over the circuit.

Russell sat devastated at the side of the track after his mistake in what was far from the ideal response to Fernando Alonso’s statement this weekend that Russell is the most promising young driver on the grid.

Jon wilde

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