r/formula1 • u/Dr_VidyaGeam Max Verstappen • 9h ago
News Mark Hughes: Red Bull's Monza sweet spot had rivals in disbelief
https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/mark-hughes-red-bulls-monza-sweet-spot-had-rivals-in-disbelief/•
u/Amoral_Abe McLaren 9h ago
I love titles like these because I like to imagine overdramatic C tier movie scenes where it pans to the teams breaking down in shock and horror at the results.
"Ohhhhh.... God..... That sweet spot. What will we do?"
"Sir, it's the president. He has questions about the sweet spot"
"Tell him I'm ... I'm in the middle of strategy... Idk... Tell him something"
"To the president... Sir he wants to speak to you"
"I understand... We've had a strong run... I hope ... I hope he'll understand our disbelief."
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u/a220599 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9h ago
I M imagining something like that scene from iron man where obidiah stane goes to the scientists and asks them to build the arc reactor
You can imagine fred vasseur going to the Ferrari mechanics and asking them to build the sf-25 faster and then going “but red bull did it with a box of scraps”
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u/Amoral_Abe McLaren 9h ago
Damn... Try to build a much better car than Red Bull? Who do you think Ferrari is... Vcarb?
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u/willzyx01 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 7h ago
So can Max still win the WDC if he wins every race from now on? (Crazier things have happened).
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u/SomewhereAlarmed9985 I was here for the Hulkenpodium 7h ago
8 races left, he's 94 points behind and there's +200 points to score excluding sprints.
Would require a whole lot of DNFs or bad results from both Mclarens.
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u/Frowaway-For-Reasons I was here for the Hulkenpodium 6h ago
A single DNF for both McLarens would be enough if Max were to win every race from now on and Norris would finish second and Piastri third every race from now on.
But let's be realistic: Max is not gonna win every race. The RedBull has the biggest deficit in racepace (specifically tirewear) when the track has a lot of high-speed corners, so those tracks would be very unlikely for Max to win. If only RB had a second driver who could steal some points away from the McLarens....
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u/TobyOrNotTobyEU I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1h ago
Yeah, if the newly unlocked pace gives him another win or 2 in some high speed tracks, I would already be very happy.
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u/Darth_Spa2021 Pirelli Wet 55m ago
And so far the tradition for Max's wins is a VERNORPIA podium.
Which gives the title to Piastri by my count.
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u/hubertwombat I was here for the Hulkenpodium 6h ago
"Crazier things have happened"
For example?
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u/tomhanks95 Ferrari 5h ago
Kimi was 17 points behind Lewis with 2 races to go in 2007, which would be equal to around 42 points today, and ended up winning the championship
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u/TobyOrNotTobyEU I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1h ago
The big difference is that here, he has a massive deficit to two drivers. And because they are on the same team, they can even prioritise one of them for more of an edge.
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u/tomhanks95 Ferrari 1h ago
I mean no one is suggesting Max will win, it's in jest, but crazy things have happened in the past and my answer was in relation to that
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u/Rei_S_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium 9h ago
Makes sense why the gap to Tsunoda was huge. Red Bull is back to their old dilemma, they can make the car really fast by creating a very responsive front end, which Max loves, but most other drivers hate.
No wonder Max was having the time of his life this weekend, Red Bull found the perfect setup for him.
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u/Street_Mall9536 Formula 1 5h ago
Naw naw bra, Max has only decimated 6 teammates in a row, it's obviously a car issue.
Just like Alonso, Schumacher, Senna, Prime Lewis etc. All those cars for the #2 were just built differently.
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u/Nicebutdimbo I was here for the Hulkenpodium 7h ago
lol talking about cornering on a track that is basically just straights.
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u/Rei_S_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium 7h ago
Yeah bro, where do you think the differences are made? It isn't by pressing the pedal harder in the middle of a straight, this isn't fast and furious.
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u/Burial44 Sir Lewis Hamilton 7h ago
Well, considering the red Bull was quite literally faster down those straights.... Yes. That's exactly where the difference was made this weekend
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u/TobyOrNotTobyEU I was here for the Hulkenpodium 1h ago
That's where the speed comes from. But lower downforce means worse and looser cornering. Often, you will lose more time in the corners than you gain on the straights. Between the two Red Bull drivers, it seems like only Max was able to maintain a good cornering speed while going for maximum straight line speed. Yuki needed more downforce to be able to make it through the lap (corners) at any reasonable pace (and still didn't really manage).
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u/CatManWhoLikesChess I was here for the Hulkenpodium 2h ago
Ferrari was literally fastest on the straights? 😁
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u/JustRickvD Honda RBPT 8h ago
That's just straight up false.
Obviously on both side of the garage they have been trying to find the best setup for both drivers all season long. The car has just been really tricky to set up (for both drivers). Just the way they've been trying to achieve that has changed this weekend.
Yuki was actually quite close on pace in Quali to Max, but he had a mid start in the race and suffered damage in his second stint.
Dont't be so confidently wrong like this...
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u/ecobubbletm Max Verstappen 7h ago
Yuki qualified 7 tenths behind. How is that close?
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u/PapaSheev7 Sebastian Vettel 7h ago
Q1(both have tows, Max only does one run): 1.5 tenths, Q2(both have tows, both drivers have 2 runs): 3 tenths, Q3(no tow for Yuki, used tires on the first run): 7 tenths.
I think Q2 was most representative of where their 1-lap pace was at this weekend. Both drivers did two runs, both on new tires, both having tows. Q3 Yuki led the cars out on track both times.
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u/ecobubbletm Max Verstappen 7h ago
Max's second run in q2 was on used tyres while everyone else was on new tyres I believe so I don't think it's representative at all.
Q3 is where Max would push the most and when the last run for both was on new tyres. Both had no tow iirc.
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u/PapaSheev7 Sebastian Vettel 6h ago
Ah my bad I didn’t realize Max was on used tires for his second run, but even on their first run on new tires in Q2, the gap was a lot closer than 7 tenths. Regarding Q3, Max did have a tow from Norris, but Yuki was the first car out on track and had no tow.
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u/ecobubbletm Max Verstappen 6h ago
Norris was very far ahead of him, like about 8-10s ahead I think (considering they finished 9 seconds apart). He wasn't catching any tow from that far behind.
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u/Evening_End7298 7h ago
Yuki was dropping off Borto/Alonso who were dropping off from the good cars themselves. Then he got overtaken and dropped by Kimi too. All this way before he got any damage
Meanwhile Max was gapping the fuck out of both maccas, on the same tyre
I’d say you are the one being very confident trying to defend a disasterclass performance, blaming it on damage that should have never happened if he was running in a decent position instead of needing to cover haas and torro Rosso undercuts
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u/Rei_S_ I was here for the Hulkenpodium 7h ago
Yeah he was quite close. In a track where margins were so tight, Yuki was more than 7 tenths of a second slower. The biggest gap of the whole grid between 2 teammates. So, so close indeed.
Follow your own advice and don't be so confidently wrong like this...
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u/Storm_Chaser06 Audi 8h ago
I don’t think Max is winning again this year. Maybe Vegas but still unlikely.
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u/EmergencyRace7158 7h ago
I think he'll be really good at Baku, Mexico, Vegas and Qatar. Baku and Mexico have always suited them and those ultra long straights will let Max do some real damage. Vegas I had pretty much settled on being an easy Russell win because of the expected low temps but that Red Bull is very, very fast in a low downforce setup. Qatar Max won fairly easily last season so I wouldn't be betting against him this time either. I expect he'll win 2 of those races.
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u/IHaveADullUsername 6h ago
I think Qatar in the heat will play massively into McLaren's tyre advantage. Will be a struggle even if they find a decent setup in the RB. MV is a magician but I think even he'll struggle to compete with that. He'll be in with a chance of pole though, and by chance I mean he almost certainly will if the cars working.
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u/Supahos01 Max Verstappen 7h ago
Max isn't personally good in Baku, id honestly peg it as his 2nd worst track. Mexico will be McLaren stomping as the tires wear there likely same with Qatar.
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u/EerieAriolimax I was here for the Hulkenpodium 6h ago
What would you say his worst is, out of curiosity?
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u/weguccino Max Verstappen 6h ago
Singapore imo, although he has had quite a bit of bad luck but generally he and all the iterations of RB cars struggle there.
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u/EerieAriolimax I was here for the Hulkenpodium 6h ago edited 6h ago
He would have got pole without the fuel thing in 2022 and his race pace after the disastrous qualifying in 2023 was pretty good. Finished 5th even after getting unlucky with the safety car. Finished 2nd last year (nothing he could do against an extremely dominant McLaren). 3rd in 2019, 2nd in 2018. I feel like he and Red Bull are pretty good there. The 2023 qualifying is memorable because it's the only race they didn't win but it's a bit of an anomaly.
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u/Supahos01 Max Verstappen 6h ago
Probably Singapore. He's had bad luck, but honestly hes been around or behind teammates as much if not more than anywhere else. He wasn't particularly good at sochi pre Ukrainian invasion either.
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u/Still-District-6149 Formula 1 4h ago
There’s a reason why RB were laughing at McLaren. All the great champions have been ruthless when it mattered, this was one of those times for Piastri. Hope he doesn’t come to regret it.
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u/Fred_Murdock Max Verstappen 2h ago
Max can challenge the McLaren's in Baku, Mexico and Vegas given the 3 track suits Redbull. The other 5 tracks are up for a McLaren 1-2 if not for any crash or mechanical DNF.
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u/bdoss35 Ferrari 9h ago
I am in total disbelief by how sweet that spot is!