Max Verstappen took home another win on Sunday after finishing first in the Sprint Race and qualifying first the day before. McLaren driver Lando Norris came in P2. Sergio Perez, Max’s teammate, rounded out the podium. Oh, and Lance Stroll had to be in the spotlight as well.
Red Bull is a machine
Sure, Max is the best driver in the world. But it’s not only the drivers who win races; it’s the pit crew as well. On Lap 14, Red Bull called in both their drivers at the same time for a pit stop, making it a double stack. The team delivered a remarkable feat, completing Verstappen’s stop in 1.9 seconds and Perez’s right after in two seconds. They held the fastest pit stop ever for four years after a 1.82-second pit stop set in Brazil in 2019. But, McLaren topped that with a 1.80 stop in Qatar last year. The only time the Austrian team screwed up in the last two years was in Australia when their rear brake overheated. It’s just a well-oiled machine, and it shows on track.
Valtteri Bottas
Valtteri Bottas spoke earlier this week about his results not being entirely his fault. Well, on Sunday, it paid true once again. On Lap 20, Bottas reported on the radio that his engine was gone. He had to retire from the race. Valtteri’s races have been taken away from him and he had no control of it. Back in Bahrain, he sat for 52 seconds in the pit lane. With Bottas out of a contract for next year, he hopes that other teams can see that when he gets a chance, he performs. And he does. His car just isn’t fast enough, so he sits around the P14 mark. consistently.
Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll ruined Daniel Ricciardo’s race. On Lap 27, Stroll just drove right into the back of Daniel Ricciardo. They were going into the turn, and Lance just wasn’t paying attention. On the onboard, it shows Lance looking at the apex instead of Daniel, who is sitting right in front of him. On the radio call afterward, Stroll wondered why the cars slowed down. A little bit later, Ricciardo had to retire from the race due to damage. Lance was given a 10-second time penalty. How Lance still has a seat is beyond me. His teammate, Fernando Alonso, is up battling top teams, and Stroll is battling the worst teams on the grid. The only reason he has a seat is because his father, Lawrence Stroll, has a huge stake in the team and practically owns it. It’s a waste of a seat.
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