Fourth win in a row for the Dutchman who stretches over Hamilton Leclerc touches himself with Gasly: finally he closes in sixth place
ROMA
Fourth consecutive victory in the World Championship for the Max Verstappen-Red Bull duo, which on the home circuit at Spielberg shows a clear superiority over Mercedes. For the first time in years, the Anglo-German team sees the superiority that has guaranteed victories, titles and records seriously questioned. The second and third places in the Styrian GP by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas, with Sergio Perez fourth in the second Red Bull, are the best that the team led by Toto Wolff could hope to achieve on the rival team’s circuit. On Sunday, on the same stage, the script is expected to be similar, but the leap in quality could be Ferrari, which after uncertain qualifying showed an excellent race pace and took home a sixth and seventh place with Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc , modest result in absolute but almost excellent if you look at the performance. If Verstappen, who started from pole, kept a hellish pace on a perfectly balanced and very fast Red Bull, Hamilton could not help but chase and wait for a stroke of luck, which did not arrive. The Brit also decided to stop on the penultimate lap, change the tires and take the fastest lap which guaranteed him an extra point, but the gap with the Dutch leader in the standings is now 18 points, while in the constructors’ championship the Red Bull is at +40 on the Mercedes. Far from the fight for the podium, the Ferraris tried to give their best in the race after the disappointments of the French GP and an unsatisfactory Saturday, but luck did not help Leclerc. Starting seventh, the Monegasque collided with Gasly on the straight after the first corner, damaging the front wing. The pit stop and the restart from the last position seemed to close the game for the Ferrari driver, but the car responded well, allowing him to climb up to seventh place, behind Sainz, who also made a good comeback having started 12th. “The pace of the car was very good, it went well with the tires,” commented the Spaniard. “Behind this result there is a lot of work, it gives us confidence for the future”. A future that promises to be bright for Verstappen, who at 23 has already collected 14 successes and aims to win his first world championship, thanks to a Red Bull that he defined as “perfect”. –