ADVERTISEMENT

Warning: array_slice() expects parameter 1 to be array, object given in /home/customer/www/straighttothegrid.com/public_html/wp-content/plugins/jnews-instagram/class/class-instagram.php on line 68
    Straight to the grid
    ADVERTISEMENT
    • Home
    • News
      • All
      • Driver News
      • Latest
      • Team News
      Verstappen

      Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

      Perez Pole

      Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

      Baku, Championship Standings

      Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

      Perez, Red Bull

      DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

      Azerbaijan race

      Leclerc on pole while two teams starting in the pit lane ahead of the Azerbaijan GP

      Sergio Perez

      Perez beats Leclerc to victory in Baku Sprint as Verstappen left fuming

      Sprint

      Leclerc, Perez and Verstappen voice their concerns ahead of the first Sprint Race of the season

      qualifying

      Azerbaijan Grand Prix organisers secure three-year deal to remain on Formula 1 calendar until 2026

      Max Verstappen Baku

      Verstappen voices disappointment with P3 Sprint Quali finish and says ‘I don’t think it will be straightforward’

      • Latest
      • Driver News
      • Team News
    • Features
      • All
      • Interviews
      • Race Reports 2020
      • Race Reports 2021
      Verstappen, Australia

      Driver reaction as Max Verstappen wins the Australian GP after sheer chaos across all 58 laps

      Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

      FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

      Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

      FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

      Verstappen

      FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

      • Interviews
      • Race Reports 2020
      • Race Reports 2021
    • Races
      • Race Calendar
      • Championship standings
    • More
      • Quiz
      • Competitions
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • News
      • All
      • Driver News
      • Latest
      • Team News
      Verstappen

      Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

      Perez Pole

      Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

      Baku, Championship Standings

      Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

      Perez, Red Bull

      DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

      Azerbaijan race

      Leclerc on pole while two teams starting in the pit lane ahead of the Azerbaijan GP

      Sergio Perez

      Perez beats Leclerc to victory in Baku Sprint as Verstappen left fuming

      Sprint

      Leclerc, Perez and Verstappen voice their concerns ahead of the first Sprint Race of the season

      qualifying

      Azerbaijan Grand Prix organisers secure three-year deal to remain on Formula 1 calendar until 2026

      Max Verstappen Baku

      Verstappen voices disappointment with P3 Sprint Quali finish and says ‘I don’t think it will be straightforward’

      • Latest
      • Driver News
      • Team News
    • Features
      • All
      • Interviews
      • Race Reports 2020
      • Race Reports 2021
      Verstappen, Australia

      Driver reaction as Max Verstappen wins the Australian GP after sheer chaos across all 58 laps

      Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez

      FP3 Saudi Arabia: Red Bull domination continues with one-two to finish practice

      Verstappen, FP2, Saudi

      FP2 Saudi Arabia: Verstappen remains out front while Hamilton’s struggles magnified

      Verstappen

      FP1 Saudi Arabia: Max Verstappen fastest but Aston Martin showing pace at Jeddah

      • Interviews
      • Race Reports 2020
      • Race Reports 2021
    • Races
      • Race Calendar
      • Championship standings
    • More
      • Quiz
      • Competitions
    No Result
    View All Result
    Straight to the grid
    No Result
    View All Result

    Declan Quigley: ‘Leclerc and Verstappen are showing impressive understanding of the strategic possibilities’

    Verstappen

    Two races, two late race, drama-filled denouements.

    The new 2022 rules package has shaken things up the established order and lo and behold the leading two teams are separated by no more than thousandths of a second per sector.

    The ground effect rules may have cut a significant gap between the top two teams and the other eight squads but that was ever so and Red Bull and Ferrari are now so evenly matched that, for the time being, we are set to be served more of these extraordinary 300kmh games of strategy.

    Between DRS and the almost inevitable appearances of safety cars, virtual and otherwise, current era Formula One is a series that favours the following car, assuming it is capable of producing similar lap times.

    It’s a recipe that seems certain to give us more of these last ten-lap specials which, this week, have produced smiles for Red Bull and Max Verstappen to replace the frowns of just a week ago.

    From the moment the perennially unfortunate Sergio Perez vaulted from first to fourth courtesy of Nicolas Latifi’s latest retirement-inducing safety car intervention, Red Bull focused on presenting Max Verstappen with an opportunity to challenge for the lead in the closing laps.

    verstappen

    Charles Leclerc took over from Perez and the race slipped into that ‘put the kettle on’ middle phase when you could be forgiven for thinking Leclerc and Ferrari seemed to be comfortably controlling the pace on their way to a second win in seven days.

    Not a bit of it. Red Bull was coaxing and cajoling their ever-grumpy world champion into managing his tyre wear to ensure his machine was primed for any opportunity which would present itself. Another race of attrition meant that was always likely and the Dutchman stalked his Monegasque rival to the restart with nine laps to go.

    There then ensued the now familiar ‘after you claude’ DRS strategy with Leclerc trying to force his rival into a pass in the first DRS sector in order to have the overtaking aid at the more important second one on the main straight. It was reminiscent of karting, or even Formula Ford, in the chess-like projection of moves further down the track.

    The game theorists in F1 will be training their drivers to think like grandmasters and already Leclerc and Verstappen are showing impressive understanding of the strategic possibilities. With three laps to go, the strain was telling on Leclerc’s tyres and his apparent pace advantage had clearly evaporated.

    verstappen

    Verstappen timed his run to perfection and Ferrari had to make do with second. Leclerc nonetheless consolidates his championship lead and one suspects that he has his sights firmly set on the championship long game.

    Carlos Sainz in third was within touching distance of his teammate all weekend but never quite on terms. He needs a good race soon to stop the creeping feeling that Ferrari is Leclerc’s team.

    Perez in fourth did nothing wrong and after nailing that long-awaited pole position with his lap of a lifetime on Saturday, he surely deserved better. How often lately has the safety car penalised the leader?

    George Russell showed what’s possible in the Mercedes which is probably the leader of ‘Class B’ while Lewis Hamilton rescued something from a painful weekend with the final point. Estaban Ocon fended off a trademark Lando Norris late-race charge and the Frenchman’s early race battle with Alpine team-mate Fernando Alonso was worth a Drive to Survive special all of its own.

    On to Australia and pretty much everyone, not least Mick Schumacher will be thrilled to get out of Saudi Arabia unscathed…

    Share this:

    • Twitter
    • Facebook

    Related

    Tags: Charles LeclercDeclan QuigleyMax VerstappenSaudi Arabian GP
    Previous Post

    Max Verstappen wins the Saudi Arabian GP for Red Bull

    Next Post

    Championship Standings: Ferrari continue to lead as Red Bull make their way up the ranks after Saudi Arabian win

    Related Posts

    Verstappen
    Latest

    Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

    Perez Pole
    Latest

    Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

    Baku, Championship Standings
    Latest

    Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

    Perez, Red Bull
    Latest

    DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

    Azerbaijan race
    Latest

    Leclerc on pole while two teams starting in the pit lane ahead of the Azerbaijan GP

    Sergio Perez
    Catch up

    Perez beats Leclerc to victory in Baku Sprint as Verstappen left fuming

    Next Post
    Red Bull, Max Verstappen in Bahrain

    Verstappen gives major RB19 update in Bahrain which may raise concern among other teams in the paddock

    • Trending
    • Comments
    • Latest
    30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

    30 years ago Jordan Grand Prix made its Formula One debut

    Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

    Latest figures show F1 to be the second fastest growing major sports league on the planet

    Jordan

    INTERVIEW: Eddie Jordan is an ‘irrepressible character’ who ‘ducked and dived’ to make it in F1

    standings

    Championship Standings: Max Verstappen leads as we head to Texas

    Red Bull, Max Verstappen in Bahrain

    Verstappen gives major RB19 update in Bahrain which may raise concern among other teams in the paddock

    Aston Martin, FP2, Bahrain

    Fernando Alonso shocks spectators as he places his Aston Martin at the top of the FP2 timesheet in Bahrain

    Mercedes, George Russell, Bahrain

    Issues persist for Mercedes as George Russell complains about floor and a ‘disturbance aerodynamically’

    Aston Martin, FP2

    Friday, Bahrain: Here are the full results from FP1 and FP2 as Aston Martin impress

    Verstappen

    Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

    Perez Pole

    Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

    Baku, Championship Standings

    Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

    Perez, Red Bull

    DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

    Recent News

    Verstappen

    Max Verstappen extends championship lead with Miami GP win

    Perez Pole

    Miami GP starting grid: Perez to lead from lights out ahead of Alonso, Sainz and Magnussen

    Baku, Championship Standings

    Here are the Championship Standings ahead of the Miami GP

    Perez, Red Bull

    DRIVER REACTION: Perez wins the Azerbaijan GP and becomes first driver with repeat wins in Baku

    Popular Stories

    • Peter Collins "can’t wait to see what the timesheets reveal after this weekend’s test."

      Peter Collins: “Testing is getting underway. How will these new thoroughbreds perform?”

      0 shares
      Share 0 Tweet 0
    • Fans go wild for new helmet cam footage on board with Alonso

      0 shares
      Share 0 Tweet 0
    • Max Verstappen wins the Abu Dhabi GP and the 2021 World Championship

      0 shares
      Share 0 Tweet 0

    Straight to the Grid

    Straight to the Grid

    Straight to the Grid is Ireland's first exclusive Formula One news source, bringing fans all of the latest
    news, results, interviews, features and much more!

    Navigation

    • Catch up
    • Competitions
    • Driver News
    • Features
    • Interviews
    • Irish F1
    • Latest
    • News
    • Quiz
    • Race Reports 2020
    • Race Reports 2021
    • Race Reports 2022
    • Team News
    • Uncategorized

    Instagram

    No Result
    View All Result
    • Home
    • News
      • Latest
      • Driver News
      • Team News
    • Features
      • Interviews
      • Race Reports 2020
      • Race Reports 2021
      • Race Reports 2022
    • Races
      • Championship standings
      • Race Calendar
    • More
      • Quiz
      • Competitions

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.