Leclerc should have blocked Russell and does Hamilton have an excuse? Analyzing

Leclerc should have blocked Russell and does Hamilton have an excuse? Analyzing

November 28, 2023, 08:45 Moscow time Audio version: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Egor Orudzhev comments on Pérez’s accident with Norris in Abu Dhabi and tries to guess Red Bull’s main pursuer in 2024.

The permanent expert of the championship, bronze medalist of the Formula V8 3.5 series, Egor Orudzhev, answered the main questions following the results of the Abu Dhabi Formula 1 Grand Prix, which was again won by Max Verstappen.

Was Leclerc right when he didn’t attack Max until the last minute of the first lap?

In my opinion, Charles did the most. You can blame him for not taking enough risks in the first corner, but don’t forget that he was chasing points for second place in the Constructors’ Championship. Especially considering Sainz’s position at that time.

Should Leclerc try to block Russell on the final lap?

Charles would most likely have received a blocking penalty. There it was necessary to intervene immediately for a couple of seconds. And also calculate that Russell will be more than five seconds behind Pérez, and you will not. At the same time, Russell will follow you closely. I think that’s why Leclerc didn’t block.

Related materials

5 famous mothers of Formula 1 racers: from karting star to social media queen

Is Pérez fined for the accident with Norris? Could both drivers have done something differently?

Yes, to the point. In my opinion, Cheko could have turned earlier, but he turned where he turned.

Who is your day runner and who is your antihero?

Runner of the day: Yuki, of course. Bravo, I made it through a pit stop. Antihero: you choose: Cheko or Lewis. Cheko, because he ended up where he was and you know what kind of car he has. And Lewis just broke his wing in a very stupid way. But that’s if you’re picky.

Related materials

Verstappen is worse than Tsunoda and the Ferrari driver had a terrible end to the year. Abu Dhabi GP scores

Does Hamilton have the right to justify 11th place in qualifying and 9th in the race due to the weakness of the car?

Somehow they take turns in the Mercedes. Either George has no rhythm or Lewis has no rhythm. But no, if your partner drives fast and you don’t, then that’s just your problem. George also looked pale and like he was in another league, for example in Mexico.

Could Hamilton’s representatives have seriously explored the possibility of Lewis moving to Red Bull or has Horner embellished everything?

I won’t go into a topic I have no idea about. Especially when both sides shout that the other is lying and everything is the other way around. It’s impossible to know what is true and what is false, so I don’t think it’s normal to talk about anything here.

Alonso said the current qualifying format is outdated: there is more nerve than fun. Do you agree with him?

In my opinion, now the format is very fair. It is even more honest to give a one hour session and a set number of sets of tires. But even in this case, the best times will be set at the same time on the track and there will be the same complaints about traffic. And entertainment will decrease. If we do it, like in 2005, with everyone on the same lap, then again, the last person on the track will have the advantage. There is no way to create an ideal format. But this one is quite interesting and keeps you in suspense for the entire hour of the rating.

Related materials

But it was a good and interesting F1 season! Yes, yes, we really believe that.

What do you think of the season in general? Is it sad or is there something special about the fact that we saw a record-breaking championship?

On the one hand, it’s boring when there’s no title fight. On the other hand, Max is very cool and this domain seems much cooler than in the days of Lewis, Seb and Shumi. They were still periodically overtaken. And here Verstappen only gave three Grand Prix: this is space!

Also, McLaren is amazing progress. I really want to believe that they will start 2024 like they finished this year. Then there will be a glorious fight for Red Bull.

Which of Red Bull’s pursuers do you expect the greatest threat and progress from next year?

I bet on McLaren at random.

Your prediction: how many races will Max and Red Bull win in 2024?

It depends on the competitors: someone will be closer or not. I don’t rule out that they can win all the races. After all, they set records to break later!

Related materials

Stories

Verstappen set 17 records in one season! Here are all of Max’s single season achievements.