The Imola Grand Prix leaves us with a key query that sums up a System 1 weekend that, after Friday’s free observe classes, had appeared already written. McLaren’s MCL39 seemed just like the automobile to beat — setting the usual each in qualifying trim and race tempo — whereas the RB21 as soon as once more struggled with the set-up points that usually plague its opening day on monitor. But, the anticipated narrative was flawed.
A stellar Max Verstappen as soon as once more modified the course of the race, snatching victory from McLaren in what can solely be described as a missed alternative for the Woking staff.
It’s no coincidence that Verstappen later referred to the race as a “good execution”, as a result of one thing extraordinary was required to beat McLaren. From the begin to the race technique, together with exploiting potential missteps from McLaren’s pitwall, the Dutchman and his staff delivered exactly that.
The turning level got here proper in the beginning: Verstappen’s audacious overtake across the exterior of the Tamburello chicane reshaped the race solely. Not solely did it preserve him out of Oscar Piastri’s turbulent air, but it surely additionally gave him management of the tempo. As seen in different races — Miami being a notable instance — Crimson Bull can sustain with rivals on contemporary tires however, over longer stints, the automobile’s vulnerabilities begin to present. Nonetheless, Imola advised a extra fascinating story than it would first seem.
A good portion of the hole Verstappen constructed over Piastri within the first stint got here inside the opening two laps, the place he constantly pushed to increase his lead. However, wanting extra broadly, between laps three and 9 the narrative modifications. Lap instances stabilized for each drivers, and Verstappen gained simply two further tenths, bringing his complete benefit to simply below two seconds.
Lap
Verstappen
Piastri
Distinction
3
1m21.258s
1m21.345s
+0.087s
4
1m21.218s
1m21.290s
+0.072s
5
1m21.228s
1m21.096s
-0.132s
6
1m20.977s
1m21.316s
+0.339s
7
1m21.496s
1m21.407s
-0.089s
8
1m21.206s
1m21.178s
-0.028s
9
1m21.194s
1m21.168s
-0.026s
This was when the race started to shift. From lap 10 onward, Piastri’s efficiency dropped off, his lap instances elevated by a number of tenths, whereas Verstappen’s remained constant. The benefit in some corners that had earned McLaren pole on Saturday – and helped in maintaining tempo within the first laps – light from that time ahead. This rising hole compelled McLaren to think about a change in technique. “I believe Oscar clearly pushed fairly laborious in the beginning, and you possibly can see he was starting to get a little bit of graining on the front-right tire,” Crimson Bull boss Christian Horner famous after the race.
Verstappen pushed notably laborious on the primary couple of laps to construct a niche to Piastri
Picture by: Lars Baron / Motorsport Pictures by way of Getty Pictures
Climate circumstances additionally performed a job: on the race begin, monitor temperatures peaked at 45°C, the best of the weekend. When tires are pushed too aggressively early on when they don’t seem to be prepared, particularly by high-energy corners like Piratella, the place certainly McLaren was pushing to maintain the tempo, it will possibly result in a thermal imbalance, triggering graining. The softer the tyres, the extra inclined they’re to this phenomenon.
Piastri’s sudden drop in tempo was not typical tire degradation as a result of put on, however slightly a thermal concern. We’ve got a touch additionally from Mercedes: over the radio, George Russell was advised that the tire eliminated throughout his first cease nonetheless had 70% of its tread left. This underscores how important tire temperature administration was, notably on such a sizzling monitor. Entrance-end graining has lengthy plagued McLaren greater than different groups, and it’s this concern that in the end pushed the staff to place Piastri on a two-stop technique.
Though Andrea Stella later said that McLaren had thought of a distinct technique to shock Crimson Bull, the decision was primarily reactive to Piastri’s declining tempo throughout that stint. Certainly, over the radio, the staff requested the Australian whether or not he might preserve pushing or if a pitstop was wanted. McLaren acted on intuition, to not cowl drivers like Charles Leclerc, who was not a risk, however as a result of it merely lacked tempo in that part. The staff opted to pit earlier than the tires might stabilize and get well tempo, hoping to shift the race in the direction of the 2 stops.
Nonetheless, switching to a two-stop successfully ended Piastri’s probabilities of successful. Imola options one of many longest pitlanes on the calendar, with every cease costing round 28s. Add the danger of site visitors and only one DRS zone, and overtaking turns into a significant problem, making a two-stop technique unrewarding for frontrunners.
Earlier than the VSC attributable to Esteban Ocon’s retirement, Piastri needed to overtake seven automobiles, those that stayed out with a one-stop technique, which added almost one other second to his hole behind Verstappen. Even with out the VSC, his hopes have been already compromised, since Verstappen might have pitted and nonetheless rejoined within the lead, having solely stopped as soon as.
Crimson Bull’s higher tyre administration enabled Verstappen to reap the benefits of the VSC
Picture by: Crimson Bull Content material Pool
“Within the first stint, even when the tires felt like they have been degrading rapidly, they nonetheless had extra to offer – that’s why Lando, Max, and different drivers caught with a one-stop technique,” Stella defined. As soon as the tyres had settled, as seen with Norris within the first stint, the tempo started to select up once more.
Whereas the first-lap overtake undoubtedly formed the race, it wasn’t the only real motive for Verstappen’s win — particularly contemplating McLaren couldn’t play a two-versus-one technique towards Verstappen, with Norris additional again. McLaren might have hoped to handle tire put on higher, however even that was a protracted shot given the RB21’s improved tempo and the race neutralizations that allowed Verstappen to cease for contemporary tires.
That is additionally why Crimson Bull stays cautious, avoiding overconfidence regardless of promising indicators from its Imola updates, which helped improve the set-up window. The RB21 has proven flashes of tempo in particular races earlier than, solely to wrestle within the following contests, displaying that it is actually track-dependant, whereas usually McLaren has proven a higher spike in efficiency and extra versatility.
Stella, in the meantime, stays optimistic heading into circuits with slower corners, the place the MCL39 continues to be the reference level and usually has a much bigger benefit: “Should you have a look at the aero maps of Miami and right here, they’re very completely different. We have been aggressive in Bahrain, China, Miami. However in quick corners, we don’t have a selected benefit. And Crimson Bull has improved their automobile.”
On this article
Gianluca D’Alessandro
System 1
McLaren
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