Imola: post-race analysis 2020
Not a classic, but it did have its moments. One bet failed, one succeeded (just), so green overall.
Off the line Hamilton was slow and Verstappen fast, with the Dutchman taking the Briton’s place. Gasly came close, but that was as good as his race got as he very early on had to retire for safety reasons, which is a tremendous shame given how well he’s been driving all weekend.
The top three cruised away from the field who were relatively close, but passing, even with DRS, was very difficult. Perez, naturally, ran longer his rivals Ricciardo, Leclerc, Albon, and Kvyat. This paid dividends when they emerged behind Magnussen, who had spun early on, and were held up long enough for the Mexican, who started on medium tyres, to pit and emerge ahead of them. Once other late stoppers such as Raikkonen, Vettel, and Latifi pitted, Perez was 4th, 8s ahead of Ricciardo.
At the sharp end, Verstappen and Bottas pitted, the Finn coming out ahead, despite damage to his car from the second lap. Hamilton, meanwhile, stayed out. Then the Briton enjoyed a huge slice of luck as Ocon’s Renault packed up and he parked it by the side of the road, bringing out a very brief virtual safety car that was perfectly timed for Hamilton to pit and come out into 1st with a sizeable margin to boot.
I’m glad he got some good luck. Hamilton’s been really struggling lately.
I was feeling pretty comfortable at this stage. And then Verstappen’s car broke (looks like his rear tyre exploded but that’s not confirmed at this time), beaching his Red Bull in the gravel and bringing out a full safety car.
The Mercedes pitted. As did Perez. But Ricciardo, Leclerc, and Albon did not. Perez was down in 7th, having been 3rd. I may have uttered non-complimentary opinions regarding the Racing Point strategy team at this point.
Whilst the safety car was still trundling, Russell, then in the points, managed to hit the barriers and end his race. Not a great moment. The debris also prolonged the safety car period somewhat.
When it came in, the Mercedes were soon over the hills and far away, leaving Perez to try and get ahead of the cars ahead, still on the hard tyre. Would sacrificing track position for fresh tyres prove wise? Not really.
Kvyat, who had also swapped his old tyres for new soft ones, stole Perez’s thunder by passing not only Albon but Leclerc as well. Albon, under pressure, spun his car in a manoeuvre which may not necessarily be career-enhancing.
Perez put Leclerc under significant pressure, and Kvyat likewise on Ricciardo, but the Frenchman and Aussie proved the power of track position, squandered by Racing Point, and retained 5th and 3rd respectively. My Perez bet still came off, but only just.
Hamilton won (shock), with Bottas 2nd. Sainz and Norris ended up 7th and 8th which is good considering they’d been lower than that for most of the race. Not a great weekend for McLaren but they still got a reasonable points tally.
Even better was Alfa Romeo nabbing 9th and 10th, partly thanks to Russell ending his chance of grabbing a point or two.
Another retiree was Magnussen, who complained of a serious headache. Albon was last but classified, annoyingly. Still, race was green overall, so can’t complain too much.
Next race is in a fortnight at Turkey. From memory, one of the better modern tracks.
Morris Dancer
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