Barretto: 'Red Bull looking good for the race'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
After the first free practice many conclusions were drawn, most notably that the United States Grand Prix would be a piece of cake for Mercedes. But according to Lawrence Barretto it looks very different now.
Mercedes have dominated the Austin circuit for years. The last time Red Bull Racing won on the American track was back in 2013, when Sebastian Vettel was still driving for the team. After FP1 it looked like it was going to be an easy race for Lewis Hamilton's team again this year, but that has now changed.
Indeed, according to Lawrence Barretto, Red Bull Racing could pose a real threat to Mercedes' dominance this weekend. The journalist for F1.com deduces that from the statistics of the second free practice session.
"Red Bull turned things around in a matter of hours on Friday. The four-time world champions seemed to be nowhere in the first practice session, but they were much more competitive in FP2. Despite the fact that Max Verstappen couldn't do a single free lap to put a low-fuel time on the board."
Red Bull faster in the race?
The numbers look particularly good for Red Bull for the race. During qualifying, it is expected that Mercedes will take pole position, but when it comes to race pace, the RB16B seems to be the faster car. According to the longruns during FP2 Red Bull Racing are 0.13 seconds faster than Mercedes in race conditions.
That's not where the advantage for Max Verstappen's team ends, according to Barretto.
"Add to that their lead over Mercedes in the medium and high speed corners and they are in good shape on Sunday afternoon." So there are certainly chances for the Dutchman to extend his lead over Lewis Hamilton in the standings.