Reuters
Formula One F1- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – December 5, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is seen as the session is temporarily stopped Pool via REUTERS/Andrej Isakovic
Reuters
Formula One F1- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – December 5, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton is seen as the session is temporarily stopped Pool via REUTERS/Andrej Isakovic
The first red flag at the Saudi Arabian GP although unfortunately, played into the hands of Red Bull. With Verstappen taking a gamble to the lead, the earlier stops of Mercedes raised some questions for the Milton-Keynes team. However, now, Verstappen may have a win in his hands. And Lewis Hamilton wasn’t a fan of the entire situation.
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And Mercedes are now worried. Hamilton asked his chief strategist about the gamble Mercedes took. “James [Vowles], that was a big gamble that we just took…does it make sense to you?”
Lap 10/50: Lewis upping the pace out front, to give Valtteri some breathing space in P2. 👌 pic.twitter.com/tt3BhKOSp9
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) December 5, 2021
Helplessly, Vowles replied to his driver, “It’s a risk we knew with a red flag, but we didn’t think it was going to happen…we have potential…there’s still possibilities”
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Mick Schumacher’s crash at turn 22 brought out the yellow flags immediately. However, no one anticipated a red flag after the incident. As a result, Mercedes pitted both their drivers during the safety car period, which was very early on in the race.
Are Lewis Hamilton & Mercedes at a loss after the red flag?
Mick Schumacher crashed out at turn 22 as his Haas found itself in the barriers. Similar to Leclerc’s crash in FP2, Schumacher lost control of his car. Now the session continued as per usual, under the yellow flag. Soon, strategy came into play as Hamilton and Bottas pitted for hard tires.
But Red Bull didn’t call in Max Verstappen.
Reuters
Formula One F1- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix – Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia – December 5, 2021 Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton in action with Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas during the race REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri
Raising the eyebrows of many, Red Bull knew the streets of Jeddah would warrant at least another VSC or safety car at least. But soon, they had a red flag in their hands.
Now, Verstappen will make his way back to the grid with almost a fresh start for him. New tires, and newly heated tires, it’s a new race start for the Dutchman. And with the race lead, he was.
Now the rest of the race is in Verstappen’s hands. Will the restart favor the Dutchman who has the better racing line and the better position? Or will the 2021 season strike again with another plot twist?
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