Before the start of the 2022 Formula 1 French Grand Prix, there were a number of aspects that were still up in the air. Would Red Bull’s top speed be enough to attack Ferrari? How high was the tire degradation going to be?
Helmut Marko , Red Bull’s chief adviser, quickly realized that top speed would not be as key as it was in 2021. F1 world champion Max Verstappen was able to keep up with Charles Leclerc in the early stages of the race. race, but was later forced to open a gap and the Austrian team opted for the undercut .
“Overtaking was much more difficult than we initially thought. But the tires also held up much longer than expected,” the Austrian told Sky Sports .
For this reason, Red Bull called Verstappen into the pits much earlier than expected: “On the lap where Charles crashed, the undercut would have already worked. On the other hand, I also think it’s really a shame that they keep happening.” technical or individual errors that do not let us enjoy such a tight duel, but of course we are happy with the points,” he acknowledged, making a reference to the mistakes of Ferrari and its drivers.
Marko was also critical of Sergio Pérez. The Mexican had already had problems throughout the weekend with the RB18 and was unable to improve the feeling during the race, partly due to George Russell overtaking him by surprise after the virtual safety car.
“Checo was asleep on that restart, that was our only regret. Maybe he had tequila yesterday. Third place would have been the finishing touch to our career,” said the Austrian veteran.
On the other side of the garage, Verstappen won the race and gave Red Bull no start. With this victory, the difference between him and Leclerc has increased to 63 points, so it seems that his second world title is in the making.
However, Marko remains vigilant: “It’s still not enough. In Budapest we want to get back to the front, and then there are nine more races to go. There are a lot of points at stake. You have to win between ten and twelve grands prix to have a chance of finishing.” win the championship.
Asked if the RB18 will have any updates, the Austrian replied: “We are constantly developing, it’s in Red Bull ‘s DNA. Updates will continue to arrive well into the second half of the year,” concluded Marko .
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