Mick’s Body and Gene’s Wallet Paying for Saturday Crash
When Mick Schumacher went into the wall during Q2 on Saturday, it didn’t just put a dent in his Sunday (and season) points-scoring prospects, he really hurt the team’s development chances.
Because of the cost cap, teams have a set season-long limit on what they can spend. It covers development, repairs, pretty much everything but manufacturing equipment and drivers’ salaries.
Teams leave room in the planning for wrecks and damage but the expected cost to repair the crash in Jeddha eats up most of that buffer. So, more crashes will begin to impact development planning for the rest of the year.
Hamilton Threw Away Opportunity at More Points
After starting 15th, getting a point for Mercedes was better than a kick in the head, but not what Hamilton would’ve wanted going into the weekend.
…or what was possible in the closing laps of the race.
Hamilton threw away a chance to be a few spots higher in the final finishing order. It’s a rare mistake from the seven-time world champion, and who knows if those points will be needed later in the season?
Alfa Adds Insult To Zhou Injury
Zhou Guanyu got a five second penalty for an incident with Alexander Albon, and he added those seconds to his pitstop during the Safety Car.
But, then had to serve a drive through penalty—where a driver has to drive through the pit lane, incurring all the lost time to rivals but without the ability to change tires or work on car. A much harsher penalty than just five seconds.
Victory in Saudi Means More to Red Bull Than a Win
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal is excited about getting the team’s first win—and points!—in the 2022 season.
It sets Max up to challenge Charles Leclerc for the driver’s championship and keeps Ferrari honest, not quite letting them walk off with the constructor’s trophy.
But, there’s a reason Horner is even more excited than normal after a win—and why he thinks this one means more than others.
Different Ferrari and Red Bull Setups
In Saudi Arabia, the two lead teams’ lap times were very similar in qualifying—at at times, during the race itself.
But how each team got to their lap time was different, and said a lot about Red Bull and Ferrari’s respective setups.
Ferrari was wicked quick through the curvy first sector, then trying to hold on to every hundredth of that advantage through the second and third sectors. Conversely, Red Bull looked to minimize damage done in the first sector and pulled a gap to the Ferrari in the high speed sectors to finish the lap. A very different approach to the RB16B’s set up just a few races ago.
But Ferrari has a plan to possibly minimize those differences in the future.
If Mercedes Fixes One Problem, Look Out
George Russel believes that, while the W18 isn’t a perfect car, fixing one problem will give their rivals fits.
Rarely is a car finishing down the order fixed by one thing, so complex are F1 cars. But, if that was ever going to be possible it’s on this team in this car.