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Max Verstappen has gone against popular opinion by saying his duel with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc during the 2022 Bahrain GP was not the best example of close racing in the new era of cars.
The Dutchman and the Monegasque driver put on a show for three laps, swapping overtakes while treating fans to some scintillating wheel-to-wheel action. Leclerc emerged stronger on the night and went on to win, while Verstappen was forced to retire late on.
When asked by the media if that was the best example of close racing in 2022 after F1 revamped its regulations to deliver more overtaking and better racing, the 24-year-old begged to differ, saying:
“I do think it was a tiny bit better but I don’t think Bahrain is the best example because of tires overheating and once, you know, (if) you are following for like two laps, you just start sliding too much, even though you can follow a little bit better. I think there will be some other tracks where, let’s say, the deg (degradation) of the tires are a bit lower and for sure you will be able to follow a bit longer. But it felt like it was a bit better. And that’s why, I guess, we had a fight for two or three laps instead of only one.”
Bahrain, like other tracks in the Middle East, is notorious for quick tire degradation. Despite Pirelli's updated compounds promising a longer tire life, all F1 teams opted for a strategy with more than one stop.
Red Bull confirm Max Verstappen was asked to hold back during Bahrain GP out laps
Red Bull have taken the brunt of the blame for Max Verstappen's slow out-laps after pit stops during the 2022 F1 Bahrain GP. The team confirmed that the Dutchman was asked to go easy on his fresh tires.
The defending world champion was incandescent with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase at the time after failing to get the better of Charles Leclerc during the Ferrari's stop in the pits. Verstappen was heard on the radio saying:
“That is two times I have taken it easy on the out-lap and not been in front. I am never, ever doing that again.”
During an interview with motorsport.com, Red Bull advisor Dr. Helmut Marko acknowledged that this was a decision taken by Red Bull when he said:
“Max [Verstappen] was actually told to hold back during his out laps. If he had driven at a normal pace, he would have been in front of [Charles] Leclerc. And when you’re in front, it’s a completely different story. But our tire degradation was incredibly higher than Ferrari and the power of the Ferrari engine was very impressive as well. But still, if Max had been in front of Leclerc, maybe the story would have been different.”
Max Verstappen is expected to rekindle his rivalry with Charles Leclerc when the 2022 F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix gets underway on Sunday, March 27.
