Formula One: Perfect 10 for record-breaking Verstappen – Don Kennedy

OPINION

According to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, Max Verstappen doesn’t care about Formula One records, and nor does he.

After winning the Italian Grand Prix at Monza and dashing the hopes of the Ferrari
fans, known colloquially as the Tifosi, by overtaking pole-sitter and Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, Verstappen set a new F1 record of 10 consecutive Grand Prix wins. When he climbed on top of his Red Bull to give his signature raised arms salute, Verstappen displayed five fingers on each hand to celebrate win number 10.

“I don’t know if he cares about the record,” an opinionated Wolff told Sky F1. “It is not something that would be important for me, those numbers. It is for Wikipedia, and nobody reads that anyway.”

The fact that Verstappen held up 10 fingers and talked excitedly about his achievement during the post-race interview would suggest he does indeed care about what he is achieving in the sport.

“I never would have believed [10 wins in a row] was possible, but we had to work for it today and that was definitely a lot more fun. We had good pace, we were good on the tyres, but Ferrari had a lot of top speed,” Verstappen said.

It took him 15 laps to get ahead of Sainz, who was braking late at the first chicane to stay ahead, but eventually locked up and lost momentum, giving Verstappen a chance under DRS to get ahead going into the second chicane.

From that point on he built up a seemingly-unassailable lead, while behind him, Sainz and his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc had their hands full holding out Sergio Perez in the other Red Bull. It would be a battle that Perez would eventually win, leaving the Ferrari drivers to squabble over the third spot on the podium. And battle they did, nearly coming together several times at the first and second chicanes.

Was it wise for Ferrari to let their drivers race, given they are fighting for third place in the Constructors’ championship with Aston Martin? Team boss Fred Vasseur was asked for his opinion.

“Because if I froze the position, you would have exactly the same question: ‘Why did you freeze the situation?’” Vasseur told the media.

“It’s much easier to comment when you have a happy end, but I think it was also the best way to thank everybody and the support of the Tifosi. I was not very comfortable to freeze something five laps before the end – I trust them, but I told them, no risk at all.”

Sainz said his car was a lot better compared to Zandvoort, and he enjoyed the fight with his teammate.

“It was tough, hard racing. It’s always been a pleasure to race Charles whenever we’ve had the chance,” he said. “A great racer, same as Max and Checo [Perez]. We had fun out there today and I hope you guys enjoyed [it].”

Leclerc expressed similar sentiments, returning the compliment to Sainz.

“This weekend we’ve been best of the rest, which is a good result for the team, given the circumstances,” Leclerc said.

“With Max, I’ve had these kinds of fights in the past, today with Checo and Carlos. We, I think, were always at the limit of the regulations, whether it was defending or attacking, and that’s exactly how I enjoy racing. So, it was fun. Congrats to Carlos, he’s been really on since the first lap in FP1, but I’m happy today.”

“Okay, I missed the podium, but Carlos is on it anyway, so a Ferrari is in there. I would have been disappointed if it was a boring race and we just finished fourth like we did, but in the end it was really fun.

“I’m sure many people did not enjoy that [fight], the guys on the pit wall perhaps, had one heart attack or two, the Tifosi probably also, but, for me, this is Formula One, this is what it should be all the time.”

It was recently reported that there was some tension between the two Ferrari teammates, so the exchange of compliments might put that rumour to bed. But 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg, as part of the Sky F1 team, had some doubts about the sincerity of Leclerc’s comments.

What we can be sure of is that the dominance of Red Bull continues. The team have won all 14 races this season, with Verstappen winning 12 and Perez the other two. Yes, this race was much closer, and Ferrari took the pole, but when it comes to race pace as opposed to qualifying mode, Red Bull have the advantage.

But Verstappen admitted it wasn’t an easy day.

“I had to be patient today to get the win,” he noted. “Ferrari had a lot of top speed all weekend and I think when you look at our rear wing, we had to trim down our top flap, so our DRS the whole weekend wasn’t as effective as normal.

“10 wins in a row is a record I am very happy about, it is something you don’t even think about trying to achieve because it is very unlikely that those kinds of things happen,” he added, as a perfect retort to Wolff‘s speculation that records don’t matter to Verstappen.

“I am very proud it has happened and proud of what the team has done again today, the whole year has been pretty much incredible so far. And of course, a one-two today as well, here in Monza, it’s special for us all.”

Perez has been feeling anything but safe in terms of retaining the drive for next year. Team boss Christian Horner has said Perez will be one of their drivers next year, but Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko is the one who has the final say on the driver line-up, including the sister team, AlphaTauri, and still harbours doubts about Perez. He was critical of Perez’s performance at Zandvoort, but it would be harsh to find fault with his latest drive, which may have saved his drive for 2024.

“It is really satisfying to achieve P2 today and it has been a brilliant day for the team,” Perez said. “We had some tough racing, but I fought really hard to overtake and gave it my all and it paid off,” he added, as if writing his own reference for Marko.

The fact is the Red Bull-owned teams bookend the Constructors’ championship. Red Bull lead Mercedes by a massive 310 points and could clinch the title in the next two races, while Alpha Tauri are last with three points, and couldn’t add to that total despite Yuki Tsunoda qualifying 11th and Liam Lawson, again substituting for an injured Daniel Ricciardo, qualifying 12th. Unfortunately, Tsunoda’s car ground to a halt on the formation lap, while Lawson finished 11th, one place out of the points, after another promising drive, even though he was rather hard on himself after the race.

“A couple of things went wrong today, we need to look into the start, as I could have done a better job, and that’s where we lost the chance,” Lawson said. “These races are longer than I’m used to, so definitely adjusting, but I felt I was much more prepared than I did last weekend, so I’m happy about that.”

The 21-year-old Kiwi will get another chance in Singapore next week, and also in Japan a week later, as Ricciardo may not be fit by then.

There was a bit of a Noah’s Ark look about the results. Two Red Bulls, two Ferraris, two Mercedes, and there should have been two McLarens. But Lewis Hamilton collided with Oscar Piastri in a clumsy overtake, eliminating him from the race, while Hamilton incurred a five-second penalty which had no effect on his sixth-place finish. You have to question if five seconds is sufficient punishment for taking championship points away from a rival driver.

“I misjudged the gap I had, and it was totally my fault – I went and apologised to him straight after,’ Hamilton said. “So, I think we maximised today, and now I’m looking forward to Singapore in 10 days’ time.”

Alex Albon in the Williams was seventh, Lando Norris eighth for McLaren, while Fernando Alonso was a disappointing ninth for Aston Martin, who have been overtaken by Ferrari in the Constructors championship. Valtteri Bottas in the Alfa Romeo completed the point’s finishers.

Verstappen heads to Singapore with a 145-point lead over Perez. He can’t mathematically win the third title there, but he can make it 11 wins in a row, and scarily, could win the remaining eight races. Toto Wolff won’t be counting, but Wikipedia will be and so is Horner.

“This was a very special victory, but we had to do it the hard way,” Horner said. “Sergio did a brilliant job, finding his form to claim second, while Max continued his exemplary run to take the win. “

“That’s now 14 victories in a row. We are leaving Europe unbeaten, which is a truly remarkable achievement and something we look to extend as we head to the next race in Singapore in two weeks’ time.”

Sources: F1.com