F1 News
Could Ricciardo challenge Verstappen in Turkey qualifying?
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen was a lot closer to the Mercedes drivers in Imola than in the previous races and that has offered some hope. According to Ho-Pin Tung, however, one should not expect too much from the race in Turkey.
Turkey other than Imola
By 2020, Verstappen will mainly be driving in no-man's-land. Behind him, there is no driver who can come close, but Verstappen is often too short to make it really difficult for Mercedes drivers. In Imola, Verstappen was closer, but according to WEC driver Tung, this is not a guarantee in Turkey.
''I think Imola was good for him and for Red Bull. I doubt if Istanbul Park is going to be the same. Renault is good in the slow corners and there are relatively many of them. Especially in qualifying Daniel Ricciardo will therefore be close to Verstappen and Red Bull," said Tung to NU.nl.
Verstappen in the same situation
''In the race I can see Verstappen making a difference again with good tyre management and that's one of the reasons why I think he's going to finish on the podium again. It is the story of this season. Only if Mercedes makes a mistake or if there are external factors in the race can he do better than a third place. But that's certainly not what he's driving for."
Tung also doubts whether Red Bull will be able to do that in 2021.
''Whether Red Bull will be able to make the step towards Mercedes next year depends on a lot of things, even if the rules hardly change. For example, what will Pirelli do with the tyres? At Silverstone we were able to see just how much difference Pirelli's choice of tyres made. The first weekend Verstappen couldn't follow Mercedes' pace and one weekend later he beat Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas with softer tyres. If Pirelli dares to take that gamble more often it could make a world of difference over a whole season," Tung concluded.