Emilia Romagna Grand Prix weekend review

• Sunday’s thrilling Emilia Romagna Grand Prix victory for Red Bull came about thanks to Max Verstappen’s resistance to a late push by Lando.
• We take a look at the main talking points of the race weekend.

Sunday’s thrilling Emilia Romagna Grand Prix victory for Red Bull came about thanks to the three-time world champion, Max Verstappen’s resistance to a late push by Lando Norris.

Verstappen turned in a strong final lap to win, holding off late pressure from Lando Norris of McLaren. Charles Leclerc of Ferrari came in third.

We take a look at the main talking points of the race weekend.

McLaren now racing with a proper car

Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the McLaren.|PHOTO: F1|

How different could the F1 2024 season’s scene be, and perhaps even the championship race itself, if McLaren had begun the season with this car?

Over the winter, there was a fantasy that, following a stunning comeback from a difficult start to Formula One in 2023, the team would utilize the off-season to create a car that could drive Red Bull into uncomfortable situations right out of the gate.

Thus, it was disappointing when Andrea Stella admitted that McLaren hadn’t tackled “all the areas” with the new vehicle as the team had expected to on the day the MCL38 was unveiled in February.

Zak Brown repeated Stella’s remarks, emphasizing the requirement to “remain realistic” even if McLaren had become Red Bull’s most reliable danger in the second part of the previous season.

Nobody wanted to hear it, least of those of us who were itching for a more contested season following F1 2023 season.

But it’s becoming increasingly obvious that McLaren now has the vital aerodynamic efficiency that they’ve been clamoring for since the first big breakthrough at Austria 2023, after the upgrades at the Miami Grand Prix.

Hamilton:’Mercedes in a no man’s land’

Lewis Hamilton. Photo/ the judge13

In the wake of finishing more than 35 seconds behind in sixth place at Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton acknowledged that he and his Mercedes team are stuck in “no man’s land.”

The Briton headed for Ferrari dismissed allegations that he was in a difficult situation, dismissing instead the enthusiastic welcome he received from the tifosi gathered around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, his home circuit in Italy.

It was an indication that Mercedes has to improve not just in order to catch Red Bull but also in order to catch McLaren and Ferrari.

Their difficulties are no longer shocking as we enter the third year of the current regulations cycle, and chatter that a return to the winner’s circle is only a race, an upgrade, or a setup adjustment away has cooled.

Mercedes faces the danger of falling behind this season as McLaren and Ferrari are beginning to fully understand the ground effect restrictions.

Is Sergio Perez underperforming?

This was Sergio Perez’s Saturday right out of 2023: a careless error that happened at a moment when neither he nor the team really needed it, followed by a lackluster early qualification exit.

Due to his mistake at the same position a few hours prior, Perez was naturally inclined to drive it poorly when he entered the Variante Alta chicane, needing an impressive final sector to make Q3.

Thus, he was eliminated in 11th position, outqualified by both RB drivers to aggravate the injury, following another awkward scramble over the entry kerb, but this time with no negative repercussions like in FP3.

When the calendar shifts to more conventional driver tracks, Verstappen’s raw pace advantage starts to raise, and Red Bull’s development (or so Checo indicated in 2022/23) steadily drifts away from Perez, it’s tough season for him.

Red Bull is not in a rush to sign Perez for the upcoming season. Helmut Marko has been known to publicly express his suspicion that Perez becomes complacent and relaxes when his future is secure, which is a result of the fact that his form quickly declined after signing a contract extension two years ago.

Did Ferrari under-estimate their rivals?

Ferrari’s car. |PHOTO: Getty Images|

Charles Leclerc speculated that Ferrari, having fallen from pace-setters to fourth and fifth in qualifying on Saturday for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, may have underestimated the latent potential of rivals McLaren and Red Bull.

The Monegasque driver qualified fourth, trailing pole-sitter Max Verstappen of Red Bull and the two McLarens driven by Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. He was quickest in both of Friday’s practice sessions.

Leclerc said, “I’m a bit disappointed.”

“Nothing much else was in the car as of today. Both FP1 and FP2 were quite successful. Though I believe they concealed their game a little bit more than we initially believed, we never know how much gasoline the other players have left in them.”