– What is Ferrari doing?, Viaplay commentator Atle Guldbranden asked rhetorically. For Ferrari and Charles Leclerc seemed to have good chances of victory in today’s Grand Prix, but an ill-fated tire choice was to ruin the race completely for the Monegasque. Leclerc had to enter the depot to change to a different type of tire, and the choice fell on the hard tyres. It turned out to be a disastrously bad choice. Already after a couple of laps, he was caught up by WC rival Max Verstappen, and with just over ten laps to go, Leclerc went back into the depot to put on the soft tire compound. – I question Ferrari’s strategy with Leclerc. Have they simply fooled themselves again?, said Guldbrandsen when Leclerc entered the depot. In the end, Leclerc finished sixth, losing precious points in the WC summary. – One of Ferrari’s most convincing blunders gave Verstappen free leeway at the front. From tenth starting position, the Dutchman drove masterfully, and took an impressive victory. – Yes, what a race! Who would have thought this would happen when we woke up today?, said Verstappen on the radio after the race. – An absolutely incredible race Max, this is up there among the best you have done, replied team manager Christian Horner. The experts are almost speechless with admiration for Verstappen’s performance. – This is one of the most convincing things we have seen from Verstappen this season, said Viaplay expert Henning Isdal. – I thought this would be Ferrari’s weekend, because this is a typical Ferrari circuit. But Verstappen and Red Bull are proving incredibly strong again, says Guldbrandsen. Although the Dutchman was the best at the start, Verstappen kept destroying himself. There were small drops of rain in several places around the track, and several drivers said that the track was slippery. And Verstappen got to experience that, when he suddenly spun around after he had taken the lead. – Oi oi oi, what is happening here? Verstappen here spint!, exclaimed Atle Guldbrandsen. – I got off the gas and just started spinning around, Verstappen said on the radio. But with Ferrari’s poor tire strategy, there was no stopping the Dutchman as he raced back into the lead. Mercedes with a new upswing In addition to Leclerc losing the battle with Verstappen, it was also a bad day for the other Ferrari driver, Carlos Sainz. Just ten laps before the end, the Spaniard was in third place, but shortly before the end he was overtaken by Lewis Hamilton in Mercedes. Hamilton then made it past teammate George Russell, eventually finishing second. But Russell took the last podium place, thus Mercedes got both cars on the podium. A huge rise for Mercedes, but a real setback for Ferrari, who did not get a single driver on the podium. RISE: Mercedes continued their rise, and Lewis Hamilton finished second. Photo: Darko Bandic / AP Russell started the race in first position after a tremendous qualifying yesterday, but was unable to keep up with the pace of Verstappen and Red Bull.
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Max Verstappen with wild comeback – Ferrari fooled themselves again – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
