avantman wrote: ↑06 May 2024, 11:27
yes Max made the wrong decision to cut the chicane. I can't even call it driving mistake, as he could've easily kept it on track losing a bit of laptime, but deliberately decided to cheat a lilbit, as they drivers often do these days on these kind of sh*tty race tracks that allow for that. We saw all drivers do similar things, and going away from it with no damage, you cannot predict the outcome, but Max will for sure study more carefully how these bollards are mounted to the ground next time. If was costly.
If there was a wall, gravel or grass, Max wouldn't have gotten any damage. So, he decided to cut the chicane to lose no time, but he made that decision when was a bit too late already, and found himself in the middle, coming right at the cone. But the cone itself wasn't a problem, the cone didn't produce any damage, it was the mounting that was helding that cone, made of cast iron, that made all the damage, when his car landed right on it and compressed to the ground. There was a big hole in the left side of the diffuser throat visible immediately after his car landed on it.
Max lost significant amount of downforce and drivability no doubt. But also no doubt it wasn't great even before that, to start with. He was struggling to build a gap over Piastri, who was himself clearly not only slower than BOTH Ferrari all race (Leclerc folded letting him go like a cheap shirt without any fight), but even more so he was slower than Lando. We see basically all the time how much faster than Piastri Lando is on race days in equal cars. And yesterday Lando car had all the updates, that according to Mclaren could cost up to 2 tenths per lap.
SQ2 laptime set by Norris on still green track ,shows how much of wasted potential they left in Qualifying of the grand prix, for whatever reasons.
So, it wasn't perfect weekend for Max and red bull, but lets not downplay Mclaren pace and their upgrades. Even before it, in China we saw Norris pace.
Now it all depends on how will RBR and Ferrari upgrades work in Imola. and yes, of course Max will be back stronger, for sure. He needed that kind of a reality check. One small mistake, one wrongly made decision