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Ferrari disputes in Russia: We have to talk

2019-09-29T16:59:14.718Z


Sebastian Vettel has been eliminated in Sochi by a defect. Until then, he has shown that he can be faster than his team rival Charles Leclerc. Ferrari needs to clarify how they handle the rivalry.



Scene of the race: Lap 28, the red Ferrari with the number five slowly rolled into the run-off zone of the Sochi Autodrom. Sebastian Vettel got out of his car. The Grand Prix of Russia was thus finished for Vettel - who had had quite a few good chances: to break the eternal Mercedes dominance on the track. To win the race. To start the fourth Ferrari success in series. And above all, to the finish line to show that he has something to oppose his much-praised competitor, teammate Charles Leclerc, something sporty.

The result: And then Lewis Hamilton won. For the fifth time on the track, which is only in the racing calendar since 2014. The technical defect in Vettel Ferrari and the subsequent safety car phase used Mercedes, to report back after three unsuccessful races in a row with a double victory. Click here for the race report.

LAP 28/53

SEBASTIAN VETTEL IS OUT! # F1 # RussianGP pic.twitter.com/5duhe37afm

- Formula 1 (@ F1) September 29, 2019

Furious first half of the race: From the start it looked good for Ferrari. Vettel overtook the extinction of the lights only the British in the Mercedes and then his teammate. Also in the flying start after a short safety car phase in lap four, he claimed against Leclerc and was the first in the field 15 laps later, already about four seconds ahead of the Monegas. A little later it became clear that Leclerc Vettel should give slipstream start-up via Team Order to overtake Hamilton. Lead Vettel past Leclerc as well, should there be a return later, but Vick refused. He drove the fastest times and the distance from Hamilton to Leclerc was too low. Ferrari postponed the exchange.

Team Rivalry: Tactics and technique have often been the reasons Scuderia has lost points this season. Now the rivalry of both riders was added. Leclerc felt again disadvantaged after Ferrari had decided in favor of Vettel in Singapore. But he is still under pressure to defend his position within the team. By numerous fastest laps in Russia he had good arguments for it. Until he parked his car on the team's instructions.

AFP / Dimitar DILKOFF

Hard to say if Lewis Hamilton (left) holds his hand over his face for joy or exertion. Charles Leclerc's facial expressions are easier to interpret: "Too bad for the team not to have the second car," he said

We have to talk: Team Principal Mattia Binotto's explanation after the race after the race was cryptic: "We told him to return the position, but he was just faster there, and we saw that the two of them were equally fast, and let him in front. " Whether Leclerc would have gone back to Vettel in the course of the race, or whether it would have been enough for a double victory without a technical defect, is speculation. The radio messages have shown that Vettel can and wants to assert himself against Leclerc and that the racing team must clarify how he plans to settle the dispute. Both drivers said after the race that they wanted to "fix everything internally".

Kuschel-Dominator: After so much dispute and disappointment, we do not want to deprive you of a view into more harmonious realms. Let's take a look at Mercedes. Hamilton said after the race: "An incredible job for the whole team (...) Especially when we look at how fast Ferrari was, it was difficult to stay there." In Sochi, Mercedes can not be beaten anyway, his World Cup lead could continue to expand the world champion, as you can ever garner a matryoshka doll:

That winning feeling ™ ️ # RussianGP # F1 pic.twitter.com/isR6hKPcU2

- Formula 1 (@ F1) September 29, 2019

Team of the day (apart from Mercedes): Driver of the day according to official F1 voting? Sebastian Vettel. Team of the day? Sure, the double winners and winners in Russia, Mercedes. However, the Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon also ensured a convincing performance. The Dutch rider moved from ninth place (to which he had been penalized for changing the engine) to fourth place. An even bigger jump was made by team-mate Albon. The 23-year-old had to start after a crash in qualifying from the pit lane and finished the race in fifth place.

Schumacher comparison with a difference: Just yesterday, the Tifosi Leclerc had cheered that it was 19 years since Michael Schumacher again managed to learn four pole positions in a row for Ferrari. In Russia, another record of the record world champion has fallen. Hamilton is now the driver with the most Formula 1 Grand Prix in which he has run at least one lap:

F1 ️ - Most F1 races at least 1 lap

143 - @LewisHamilton (+1)
142 - Michael Schumacher
103 - Sebastian Vettel (+1)
86 - Ayrton Senna # Russian GP # F1

- Gracenote Live (@GracenoteLive) September 29, 2019

Source: spiegel

All sports articles on 2019-09-29

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