Racing Point impresses but refuses to ignite

We left them confident and serene in the great suburbs of Barcelona. From the hills of Montmeló (Spain) to those of Austrian Styria, the Pink Panthers, whose DNA comes from Mercedes W10 double world champion in 2019, does not seem to have lost any of their energy.

At the wheel of this RP20 which fascinates as much as it annoys the other mid-grid teams, Sergio Pérez signed the 5th best time in Free Practice 1 of the Austrian Grand Prix before climbing to 3rd place during FP2, 0 seconds behind the benchmark established by the untouchable Mercedes W641 of Lewis Hamilton.

Despite this promising start, the Mexican refused to declare victory too quickly. “It was a good first day, confided the pillar of the former Force India team. The gaps are very tight, the grid is extremely condensed. Afterwards, it’s also a short track.

The key in qualifying will be to bring all the ingredients together and put them together. We have an idea of ​​our level of performance but it is only on Saturday that we can be sure.

We are more than half a second from the lead and the Ferrari, Red Bull, Renault, And McLaren all stand together in a tenth so we can't get too excited ».

If Pérez is cautious, Racing Point's rivals do not hesitate to crown the RP20 queens of the mid-pack before their time.

“The Racing Points were particularly fast, thus confided Carlos Sainz at McLaren. We expected them to be in the mix but to have such an advantage on such a short track is quite impressive.”

Same story in the clan Haas where we even see Racing Point mingling with the usual Top 3, including in the race.

“I didn’t analyze the times but I was told that Sergio was on the pace of (Vatteri) Bottas on long relays, said Romain Grosjean. Obviously, they rely on a close partnership with Mercedes and their car is very similar to the Mercedes, which is the reference on the grid. Good for them.

We collaborate with Ferrari, perhaps in a slightly different way, but I think it's a good model. It’s good to see new colors at the top of the grid.”

Not sure that independent teams, typically Renault, Mclaren, or even Williams, share this enthusiasm.