Ferrari continues to chase Red Bull
Baku, July 22, AZERTAC
Just as it seemed Red Bull and Max Verstappen were going to run away with both Formula One championships, Ferrari and Charles Leclerc have come up with some positive results, according to The Athletic.
Ahead of the French Grand Prix this weekend, Ferrari looks closer to level with Red Bull in performance than it has in months.
Ferrari has outscored Red Bull in three straight races and has won the last two. Verstappen still has more wins (six) than the rest of the field combined (five), but after a dominant stretch of six straight Red Bull victories, Ferrari has gained some ground in Europe.
Some alterations to Ferrari’s rear wing have apparently helped reduce the difference in top speed between the two cars. This weekend’s race in France represents another chance to see how the battle between the clear top two teams is shaping up.
This track was built in 1970 and alternated hosting duties for the French Grand Prix through that decade and into the early 1980s. It hosted every French Grand Prix from 1985-1990 before the race moved to Magny-Cours from 1991-2008. In 2018, the French Grand Prix returned to F1 with Circuit Paul Ricard as host.
The return races have mostly been unremarkable. Passing is difficult at this track. In the 17 grands prix at this venue, 11 of the winners started on pole position, including all three since the modern return.
There are a few straights and a lot of run off in the turns, making it less likely for a race-changing mistake from any of the drivers. There isn’t always a lot of action at this track. Can the 2022 cars show more excitement here than the previous generation of cars did?
Lewis Hamilton won in 2018 and 2019 while Verstappen won last year. In the 2019 race, the top four qualifiers finished in those positions in the race. Last year, it was the top two qualifiers finishing in those positions in the race with three and fourth swapping from qualifying.
Leclerc moved into second place after Sergio Perez retired in Austria. He’s still 38 points behind Verstappen at the top, but has chipped away at that deficit for two straight races. Leclerc is +250 (5-to-2) to win the title this season with Verstappen at -350 (2-to-7).
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