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Ferrari has to understand Red Bull’s “mega big DRS effect”
The incredible efficiency of Red Bull’s DRS overtaking assist was on full display this season, with Max Verstappen climbing from 15th to second at the circuit in Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen also raised eyebrows when he overtook Lewis Hamilton’s DRS at the Australian Grand Prix, flying past the Mercedes driver with a speed difference of more than 20km/h.
Meanwhile, his team-mate Sergio Perez, who used DRS regularly after a rear start, set a top speed of 341km/h at Albert Park.
Vasseur said his team had to understand how Red Bull got such a drastic reduction in drag from its rear wing design when DRS was engaged.
“They have a huge DRS effect, bigger than anyone else. We have to understand how they do it,” he said.
“They’re doing something different, and they’re definitely doing it better.”
But when asked how surprised he was by Red Bull’s top speed gap, Vassell said the Milton Keynes team’s advantage was actually greater in 2022 as Ferrari had managed to close some of the gap.
“I think the difference may have been bigger last year,” he said. “I think we’ve closed some of the gap. It was probably more pronounced last year. But we still need to improve on that.
“That problem (is) we expected to compensate more, but last year the gap was bigger. But now for sure we have room to improve in that area. We are working on it.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19
Photography: Glenn Dunbar/ motorsport pictures
In qualifying, Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc were in the middle of the speed trap, but it is important to note that the choice of downforce level can also affect the result.
Polesitter Verstappen was ahead at 328.8 km/h ahead of Perez at 326.7 km/h. Williams’ low-drag design left Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant third and fourth respectively, just 3km/h behind.
At the bottom of the chart, the top speed of the Alfa Romeo duo of Zhou Guanyu and Valtteri Bottas is almost 10 km/h lower than the Red Bull’s 319 km/h.
Red Bull’s top speed advantage is expected to take hold at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which features a 2km straight.
Another pole for Max Verstappen. The reigning world champion was fastest on a rainy track early in the race. Charles Leclerc was a disappointing 19th in qualifying. Sergio Perez didn’t have a great day either. The Red Bull man retired in the second quarter. Below are the full results of qualifying, although the investigation into a possible foul by Pierre Gasly is still ongoing.
A strange moment during qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton both appeared to start fast laps before bumping into each other. Russell had to think about the sluggish Carlos Sainz. The 25-year-old Briton made it past but then squeezed his team-mate. The W14s were battling each other and for Russell it was the 12th time at the end of Q2 qualifying.
Charles Leclerc will start from the last row at Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix. The Monaco native reported a problem with his Ferrari and did not get past the 19th in the first quarter. Sergio Perez was lucky. The Red Bull racer progressed into Q2 in 15th and last.
Results qualifying | Verstappen impresses as Perez struggles again
Bizarre | Teammates Hamilton and Russell hit each other in Barcelona
Exit for Leclerc in Q1 after issues; start from last row of the grid in Spain
First red flag in Spanish qualifying: Bottas and Albon into the gravel
F1 LIVE | FP3 resumes in Catalunya after Sargeant spins in the rain
What we learned from Friday practice at F1’s 2023 Spanish GP
Verstappen sees technical headliner move to McLaren: 'At such an offer…'
Shovlin sees familiar pattern: 'The longruns look good'
Alonso proud of his fans: 'Our Aston Martin merchandise is very popular'
This is the time difference between Pirelli tyres in Spain
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