Alexander Nasonov – about why Ferrari should not be criticized for tacitly granting Sebastian Vettel the status of the first pilot.
Ferrari, which is gradually regaining its status as the favorite of Formula 1, took up the old. At the Monaco Grand Prix, the team sacrificed the interests of Kimi Raikkonen, the favorite of the public, in favor of Sebastian Vettel, who, objectively speaking, has a much better chance of competing for the title.
There is only one answer to this: so what?
In Spain, Mercedes did the same with Valtteri Bottas. The method was completely different, but the outcome was the same: the victory of the first number of the team. The Finn had the opportunity to win in Barcelona. And, perhaps, he would have won it if Lewis Hamilton had not been on the track initially.
“I did everything I could to keep Sebastian,” Bottas said then. I wanted him to waste time. That’s all. This is my job and my mission at the moment.”
In Mercedes, of course, they were not slow to thank Valtteri for helping Lewis.
“This is the result of a team effort,” said Mercedes Motorsport CEO Toto Wolff. – I would not forget about the contribution of Valtteri. His race actually ended at the first corner. He made a significant contribution to our victory.”
And then no one was outraged. Not the reviewers, not even Bottas himself.
So why are many now inclined to accuse Ferrari – especially the British, of course – of the fact that the team chose to castle their pilots? What is reprehensible in this? Team tactics in Formula 1 is officially allowed. After all, this is a team sport.
Räikkönen started from pole position and led the first half of the race. Vettel did not have the slightest chance to get around it. It’s all like that.
But when the German took the lead, the picture changed. For 20 laps, the gap between the red cars has grown to 20 seconds. Question: why, in this case, Ferrari hold back his fastest pilot, thus jeopardizing the team victory?
We can say that Raikkonen, they say, dropped his hands, got upset and therefore fell behind. But a Ferrari driver, even if he is a co-pilot, has no right to such weakness. Especially when the Scuderia for the first time in many years, not in words, but in deeds, is fighting for the title. Vettel, for some reason, was not upset when he lacked some 0.043 seconds to pole position.
Red Bull acted in a similar way, when it became clear that it was more profitable to sit out an opponent on the track in Monaco than to cut, “not sit out”. There is no doubt that the team from Milton Keynes would hesitate even less if its riders claimed victory, and not just third place.
From the point of view of pure wrestling, of course, it is not good when the team manipulates the results of the race. But Formula 1 is not only and not so much a sport as a business. Vettel’s victory was in the interests of the business of the Scuderia – the Scuderia provided it.
And here’s what’s interesting: all those who criticize Ferrari for using team tactics (very virtuoso, by the way) will criticize her for completely opposite things if Vettel loses the title to Hamilton, losing, say, five points. Then other speeches will be heard: why Ferrari did not provide Vettel with the best conditions at all stages, he is the first number, etc.
In previous years, Mercedes did not always divide its pilots into first and second numbers, giving them equal opportunities. But let’s be frank: in the individual competition, only Hamilton and Nico Rosberg claimed the title, and in the Constructors’ Championship the team did not fight with anyone at all. In such greenhouse conditions, you can really let your riders fight.
But if you have the same Mercedes in your competitors, it is more expensive for you to act in this way.
Source: Sportarena
I am Sandra Jackson, a journalist and content creator with extensive experience in the news industry. I have been working in the news media for over five years. During this time, I have worked as an author and editor at various outlets producing high-quality content that attracts readers from different demographics.