VERSTAPPEN vs. GASLY
BATTLE NO 3
Having complained long and loud about the shortcomings of its Renault power plant, Red Bull is now saying the arrival of Honda in the back of what is generally agreed to be one of the best chassis will literally give the former champion the boost it needs to mix it with Ferrari and Mercedes. The decision to join forces with Honda was helped by positive messages from Toro Rosso last year when Red Bull’s junior team ran the Japanese hybrid. The Honda V6 worked well for the Italian midfield runner but it remains to be seen if it will be good enough for the intense competition at the front.
Patience threatens to be in short supply, not only within the team but also in the eager and sometimes impulsive temperament of their lead driver. This will be Max Verstappen’s (right) fih full season in F1. The DutchBelgian may be only 21 but feels he is ready to become a champion. The occasional win will no longer be enough and Verstappen’s tolerance may be tested from a dierent direction if the package fails to work.
On paper, Verstappen’s confidence and pace means he should outrun Pierre Gasly, who steps up to senior school aer an impressive year with Toro Rosso. The Frenchman’s supporters point to a racing intelligence adapted through the hardship of previously being sidelined by the Red Bull system and, more important, the experience gained and acquaintances made with Honda through an enforced season in Japan’s Super Formula in 2017.
Verstappen will need to learn about a Japanese culture in which correct manners are deemed to be even more important than an eective ERS (energy recovery system). It will take only a few injudicious and exasperated remarks by Verstappen to allow Gasly, if he’s smart, to brush up on his Japanese etiquee, quietly massage existing contacts and really give Max something to stress about.
VERSTAPPEN NEEDS TO LEARN ABOUT A CULTURE DEEMING MANNERS IMPORTANT