Can Verstappen get back to the front during the Russian GP?

Forced to start from the back of the grid at the Russian Grand Prix after the introduction of a complete new Honda powertrain on its Red Bull, Max Verstappen is not convinced that he has the means to advance in the peloton.

The Dutchman had however made a nice comeback from 19th to 5th place during the 2018 edition of the Sochi round, all with a car otherwise less dominant than its current RB16B. But Verstappen believes that the tighter gaps this season will make his task more difficult.

« In 2018, the gaps with the mid-grid were greater, pointed out the leader of the world championship Friday evening after the first free practice sessions. So I think it will be mechanically more complicated to get back to the front but we had to take the penalty in any case.

If we hadn't done it here, we should have been sanctioned elsewhere. We chose to observe the penalty here and adapt to it as best as possible during the race. ».

Aware of the boon represented by a decline of his rival in the championship, Lewis Hamilton absolutely wants to take advantage of the opportunity to erase the 5 point deficit it currently has, or even better.

« This season is proving to be particularly trying in terms of reliability, it’s a shame for him (Verstappen, Editor’s note), reacted the seven-time world champion, author of a pair of 2nd times during a opening day dominated by teammate Valtteri Bottas.

We must try to capitalize on this situation and try to score as many points as possible. It would be great to get a double ».

If Hamilton can count on the loyalty of his garage neighbor to stand behind reason of state and his W12 in the race, the Briton experienced an alert this Friday which should invite him to exercise caution.

Indeed, Hamilton knocked down the front speed lift attendant during one of his pit stops in FP2. The German team confirmed that its mechanic was fine and revealed that the incident was linked to the use of the “ magic button » which manages the braking distribution from the steering wheel.

We will remember that it was by mistakenly reactivating this same lever in Baku that Hamilton pulled straight into the first corner during the 2nd standing start of this completely crazy Azerbaijan GP. An unfortunate setback for the pilot Mercedes because it had prevented him from taking advantage of the misfortunes of Verstappen, forced to retire after the spectacular explosion of his left-rear Pirelli tire while he was comfortably leading.

A sign that nothing is ever written in Formula 1, including when one of the two title protagonists starts with a significant disadvantage on the grid.