F1: Red Bull look to banish Australian Grand Prix hex
FILE PHOTO: Purple Bull’s Max Verstappen applauds on the rostrum after ending second place within the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. REUTERS/Rula Rouhana
MELBOURNE— Purple Bull stand poised to shrug off their Australian Grand Prix hoodoo on Sunday and proceed their domination of the Formulation One world championship as rivals battle for tempo.
Purple Bull has not gained at Albert Park since former driver Sebastian Vettel claimed the 2011 race however there could also be no stopping the constructors champions this yr on the lakeside circuit.
With Max Verstappen main a Purple Bull 1-2 in Bahrain and teammate Sergio Perez flipping the order in Jeddah, Purple Bull have been in a category of their very own this season, with the RB19 automotive dazzling with its pace and exhibiting ample reliability.
“It’s all the time good to … expertise Melbourne a bit, though from a racing perspective, it isn’t one which has been too form to us over time,” mentioned double defending champion Verstappen, who was pressured to retire throughout final yr’s race resulting from a gasoline downside.
“The monitor is nice with some high-speed corners, and one I take pleasure in driving so hopefully we are able to have a superb race this weekend.
“We simply want it to be simple and constant.”
Verstappen leads the championship by some extent from Perez, who gained in Saudi Arabia by holding off the Dutchman as he roared again to second from fifteenth on the grid.
Formulation One will hope Perez can hold the stress on Verstappen, with the opposite groups seemingly nicely behind the event curve.
An unprecedented fourth DRS Zone at Albert Park this yr — between turns eight and 9 on the 14-corner lay-out — may play additional into Purple Bull’s palms.
‘RACING HARD’
FILE PHOTO: Purple Bull’s Sergio Perez celebrates after profitable the Saudi Arabian Grand. Prix Pool through REUTERS/Luca Bruno
As soon as-dominant Mercedes, whose drivers George Russell and seven-times world champion Lewis Hamilton completed fourth and fifth respectively at Jeddah, are “storming full steam forward” to bridge the hole after realising they received their automotive idea incorrect.
“The indicators we’re seeing again on the manufacturing unit are promising,” mentioned group boss Toto Wolff.
“We’re not the place we need to be – however that gained’t cease us from racing arduous and giving it every thing we’ve received.”
They might want enchancment rapidly in the event that they hope to retain Hamilton, whose contract expires on the finish of the season.
Hypothesis concerning the 38-year-old Briton’s subsequent transfer is already rife, with Ferrari seen because the doubtless vacation spot.
Ferrari, nevertheless, has their very own issues, with drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc lamenting a scarcity of tempo after ending sixth and seventh respectively in Jeddah.
Neither they nor Mercedes have a podium this season, upstaged by the much-improved Aston Martin and their 41-year-old twice world championship-winning driver Fernando Alonso.
Aston Martin has disregarded jibes from Purple Bull that the AM23 is a duplicate of its automotive, regardless of sporting a Mercedes engine and gearbox.
That has hardly fazed them.
“We’ve a distinct idea to these two automobiles (Purple Bull and Mercedes) though it’s true that visually all of the automobiles look a bit bit related,” Alonso advised Spanish media.
Residence followers will cheer a brand new Australian driver over the weekend, with the much-hyped rookie Oscar Piastri having changed Daniel Ricciardo within the papaya colours of McLaren.
Ricciardo, now reserve driver at Purple Bull, by no means managed a podium at Albert Park, and Melbourne-born Piastri’s first residence race is unlikely to be successful, with struggling McLaren but to attain some extent.
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