Clever strategy: brakes in front of the DRS detection line
Last season's pinnacle clash between Verstappen and Hamilton turned into a clash between Verstappen and Leclerc this season. Although Ferrari was a big rider in Bahrain, it finally fought a better result in Shaud Verstappen.
The saudi grand prix was very similar to a week ago, with Leclerc leading and Verstappen constantly attacking. Leclerc made several attempts to brake in front of the DRS detection line, allowing Verstappen to overtake in order to be able to gain an advantage in the DRS zone. But Verstappen seized the opportunity and managed to win the championship.
A strange phenomenon occurred during the race: both cars braked before the last turn, trying to get the opponent to pass the DRS detection line first, because everyone wanted to gain an advantage in the big straights so that they could lead into Turn 1.
Leclerc said: "There were two times when it succeeded, but the last one failed. I know Max and Red Bull have a speed advantage on the straights this weekend and if Max behind me gets a DRS, he can easily overtake me, so I have to get the DRS. ”
"The first time I braked early, got the DRS and then overtook him before Turn 1. The second time Max knew what I was going to do, we all braked early. But I can still keep the lead. The third time didn't work out, but I've done my best to keep my place. ”
Verstappen: Charles is smart
You may recall last year's confrontation between Verstappen and Hamilton in the same position, when Verstappen also wanted Hamilton to go first and then use DRS to overtake his opponent. It was only then that the two cars collided, but this time both sides were polite.
Verstappen said: "Charles was smart in the last corner and it was a great brain race. I had to accept the situation and then adapt quickly. The race was fun, it was tough but really fun. ”
"It's very important that we give each other enough respect so that we can play such a great game."
Yellow Flag affects Leclerc
Verstappen's Red Bull car has higher tail speeds, while Leclerc's Ferrari cars win more time in corners, but the top speed is significantly inferior to Verstappen, which is why Verstappen was able to maintain the lead after overtaking.
On the penultimate lap, Leclerc had the opportunity to attack on the straight, but could not overtake because of the collision between Alben and Stol at Turn 1, which showed the yellow flag at the tournament.
Leclerc said: "I don't have DRS, I can only get as close as possible to Max at the end of the straight. But even with DRS, I don't think there's much to try. All the work of the team was great. Losing the game towards the end of the game is certainly disappointing. ”
'But it was really fun, it was intense, but fair and it should be like this in every game.'
Marko: Max is expensive, but well worth it
Marko said: "It's unbelievable that such a game. After last year's race we didn't believe there would be another improvement, but now we've done it. ”
In addition, Verstappen fully executed the team's strategy, which made Red Bull very excited.
"This is Max, we've all seen it, and although he's expensive, it's worth it."
'We used to expect the game to go in that direction, but when you have a Max, you can totally trust him, he can do all the work.