Sebastien Buemi guaranteed Max Verstappen this pole position? Or was it Nico Hulkenberg? Certainly, Verstappen deserves a lot of credit for performing well in a car that may not have been the fastest. However, his two friends played a significant role in his success.
This pole position was not notable for its domination, but rather for the dramatic turnaround it represented after Verstappen struggled with the car’s balance during practice.
It wasn’t that McLaren and Ferrari, both formidable challengers, had failed. In fact, they were faster in qualifying than at any other point during the weekend. Verstappen and his team simply found more speed.
But what exactly is the team’s role in situations like this? “The unsung heroes are the 60 people working at the base – and the simulator driver, in this case Buemi, putting in long, hard hours,” Christian Horner tells Verstappen.
Verstappen faced difficulties on Friday with a front end that wasn’t cooperating. Turns 7 and 11-13 were particularly problematic, causing the car to lose time, especially to the McLarens.
With some adjustments to the car setup and more front wing for the second practice session, Verstappen initially found the car much better on medium tires. However, he was surprised to find that with the stickier soft tires, the car was difficult to control in those turns, with the rear threatening to throw him off the track.
With the car unbalanced, it is no wonder that his long laps were significantly slower than those of McLaren and Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. There seemed to be no middle ground between two different types of imbalance, depending on the tire used. A complete reconsideration was necessary for Saturday. At that moment, it seemed that Verstappen would start from the third row.
The team behind the scenes knew they had a challenging task ahead. “It’s the hard work that happens behind the scenes and often goes unnoticed,” Horner summarizes.
The Red Bull car is always vulnerable on tracks like this, where the front end is crucial. However, on Friday, the car was so far from its ideal performance that Verstappen and his race engineer had no immediate solutions. In contrast, the McLarens seemed to have found the perfect balance and grip, surpassing what the Red Bull team could achieve.
“Buemi spent about 10 to 11 hours in the simulator in Milton Keynes since FP1,” reveals Horner. “They worked late into the night. The role of the simulator driver is shared with Jake Dennis, but this time it was Buemi. They are the unsung heroes, working tirelessly in the darkness of Milton Keynes, and on days like today, their work is crucial.”
“We have a team led by Ben Waterhouse, which includes engineers like Simon Rennie, working with ‘GP’ [Lambiase] on the track. It’s a collective effort.
“A driver like Buemi or Dennis has the experience and ability to adapt their driving style to meet the needs of Max or Checo. They are not just focused on setting fast laps or adjusting the car for themselves. Their goal is to provide the drivers with the best possible car for their needs.”
“We had difficulties at Tosa and Turn 12. However, the team back at base managed to improve the balance of the car, calm everything down, and then suddenly… bang.
“One thing Max doesn’t like is a car that doesn’t respond. He felt a significant improvement in FP3, but a fine-tuning was still needed. With these adjustments, he finally was satisfied and in Q1, he led the time sheets for the first time over the weekend.
“We have an aerodynamic update on the car this weekend, and it is delivering as expected. It was a matter of finding the right balance between aerodynamic and mechanical aspects.”
The impact of the adjustments is evident when analyzing Verstappen’s lap compared to the McLarens. He was about 0.2s faster than them in sector 1, where he previously struggled, and made up for the deficiency in sector 3. In the middle sector, he was practically identical to Oscar Piastri.
The combined result was a lap time six hundredths faster than Piastri, with Norris one hundredth behind, and about 0.1s faster than Leclerc’s Ferrari.
But there was another factor…
“Max is instinctive,” says Horner. “On his final lap, he saw his friend Hulkenberg approaching, so he helped him get closer in Rivazza, knowing he would benefit on the main straight. I could see exactly what he was doing.
“Looking at the live data, you can see he gained five hundredths with that slipstream in T1. He secured pole by six hundredths, and Hulkenberg contributed to that.”
So, it was the combined effort of these two friends.
Considering that Verstappen was half a second off the pace on Friday, with some of it being attributed to lower engine settings, we can say that the unsung heroes played a significant role in securing his pole position advantage, with Hulkenberg providing an additional boost. Piastri’s grid penalty also provided a safety net for Verstappen.
But this success was not just luck – it was the result of Verstappen’s hard work and genius. “It’s fantastic to be able to turn things around like this after a difficult start,” he expressed.
“This morning, the balance had shifted too much in the other direction, but we found ways to adjust it. It was more challenging than I expected, and I want to thank everyone at the factory for their efforts.”
© 2024
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