Photo: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
Formula 1 fans enjoyed a spectacular season opener yesterday, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc claiming this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix crown after an amazing drive. He was joined on the podium by his teammate Carlos Sainz, who finished second, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, who saw himself catapulted to P3 after both Red Bull cars broke down.
The race itself was fascinating, not only because we were treated to a whole different pecking order in terms of engine performance, but also because the tires were acting differently.
As for the new aero regulations, well, the verdict is pretty much in and it’s safe to say that cars can truly follow a lot more closely this year. This became evident during what was arguably the most exciting part of this race, namely the dogfight between Verstappen and Leclerc.
During a nearly successful undercut maneuver, the Red Bull driver got within DRS distance of Leclerc and managed to overtake the Ferrari on the pit straight. However, unlike in previous seasons, where that Ferrari would have likely dropped back, Leclerc managed to keep his car right behind Verstappen and regain the position at the end of the following straight.
This happened multiple times over, which as you can imagine, drove the crowd wild, as well as the announcers. It was so very different compared to what we’ve been used to seeing over these past few years. Even after blowing past Leclerc on the main straight, Verstappen simply couldn’t get away from the Ferrari, despite catching up to it with great ease beforehand.
“I only followed into Turn 2, as I was only behind for one corner and then would overtake Max back into Turn 4, it was tricky, but it was nice though,” said Leclerc as quoted by Motorsport.
He then went on to say: “Following him into Turn 2 was a bit more predictable than what I expected or what I had last year, so this was good but it was always very close.”
As for the new aero regulations, well, the verdict is pretty much in and it’s safe to say that cars can truly follow a lot more closely this year. This became evident during what was arguably the most exciting part of this race, namely the dogfight between Verstappen and Leclerc.
During a nearly successful undercut maneuver, the Red Bull driver got within DRS distance of Leclerc and managed to overtake the Ferrari on the pit straight. However, unlike in previous seasons, where that Ferrari would have likely dropped back, Leclerc managed to keep his car right behind Verstappen and regain the position at the end of the following straight.
This happened multiple times over, which as you can imagine, drove the crowd wild, as well as the announcers. It was so very different compared to what we’ve been used to seeing over these past few years. Even after blowing past Leclerc on the main straight, Verstappen simply couldn’t get away from the Ferrari, despite catching up to it with great ease beforehand.
“I only followed into Turn 2, as I was only behind for one corner and then would overtake Max back into Turn 4, it was tricky, but it was nice though,” said Leclerc as quoted by Motorsport.
He then went on to say: “Following him into Turn 2 was a bit more predictable than what I expected or what I had last year, so this was good but it was always very close.”
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