This month’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix looks like the bucket roll for many teams
Mola has long been regarded as a panacea for Red Bull’s rivals in a one-sided Formula 1 season.
It is there, in the next race of the F1 calendar – the Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna – where the biggest novelties will be revealed through those who desperately hope to close the gap to the leaders on the run.
Mercedes has retained all the updates this season, after admitting it has walked the road with its car for more than a year. At Imola, he will reveal them all at once.
The hope for a more entertaining championship is that, one way or another, Mercedes, Ferrari and even Aston Martin, who have so far been the wonder of the season, have discovered a silver bullet to achieve a significant improvement.
Mercedes’ tweaks come with a new side axle, floor and front suspension, but after making promising noises about the potentially accelerated pace, there has been a truth check more recently.
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In Mami, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were about a moment slower than the Red Bulls. It is unlikely that Mercedes came up with anything that Red Bull technical director Adrian Newey would not have thought of to put them on an equal footing.
Speaking about Mercedes’ Imola hopes, team principal Toto Wolff said: “I had never realised in my 15 years in F1 that a silver bullet was introduced, where you suddenly separate yourself from a moment of performance, so I doubt very much that will happen. happen. get here.
Wolff compared the upgrades of a “major surgery” to a “toxic car,” while Hamilton and Russell described the W14 facelift as a step into the unknown. For them, the priority is, in spite of everything, to be able to perceive the car.
Ferrari overhauled its pontoons and rear suspension after suffering in Miami when it was predicted to be the Red Bulls’ most productive.
Afterwards, Ferrari engine Carlos Sainz bid farewell to any challenge to the most productive team.
“There will be adjustments to the car [at Imola], but honestly I think the gap to Red Bull is too big to make up this year,” he said. coming. That’s why we want to stay motivated and focused.
Aston Martin is lately the closest competitor and has 60-70% more wind tunnel use than Red Bull, a domino effect of its modest position in last year’s championship, as well as Red Bull’s limited use to exceed the load limit.
Entering Miami, the hope that Sergio Perez can at least turn the championship into a two-horse race.
The Mexican, who struggled all weekend, controlled to take pole position but overtook teammate Max Verstappen with disconcerting ease, despite the Dutchman starting in ninth place.
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