As it is in Formula 1: A nice theater is put on about supposedly illegal advantages of the competition.

At some point the International Automobile Federation (FIA) feels compelled to intervene - and then nothing changes: Red Bull is the measure of all things when sprinting over a lap on a permanent race track with the new, now less flexible rear wing.

Anno Hecker

Responsible editor for sports.

  • Follow I follow

    Max Verstappen won the qualifying for the French Grand Prix this Sunday (3 p.m. in the FAZ live ticker on Formula 1 and on Sky) ahead of Lewis Hamilton and this time strong Valtteri Bottas (both in a Mercedes). “Ha, ha, that's wonderful, it was such fun,” Verstappen called out to his team over the radio.

    15,000 spectators, spread over the spacious blocks of the grandstands around the slope of Le Castellet, experienced the continuation of the duel for the driver's title with Hamilton at 30 degrees Celsius, with sausages and rhythm groups in the stands that set the mood.

    Before the seventh Grand Prix of the season, the Dutchman leads the drivers' standings with 105 points, ahead of the seven-time Englishman (101).

    “It's not the easiest track for us, we had problems on Friday, but now the feeling is great.

    But points will only be awarded on Sunday.

    We have to try to win the 25 points that we lost in Baku (accident after tire damage / editor). "

    Vettel: "I had problems"

    Verstappen has the Mercedes phalanx on his neck.

    Because his team-mate Sergio Perez, lucky winner of the race in Azerbaijan, stayed half a second above the best time of the World Cup candidate in his own team.

    In fourth place, should both Mercedes stay ahead at the start, he cannot keep his back free to Verstappen and fulfill the task for which he was signed by Red Bull.

    Sebastian Vettel was also not satisfied after his strong performance in second in the Baku race.

    The Heppenheimer landed on position twelve.

    “I had problems with the front tires, sorry,” the four-time world champion called out to his race engineer via radio.

    He missed making it into the top ten by 0.15 seconds.His teammate at Aston Martin, Lance Stroll, was just 19th.

    Which was indirectly related to Vettel's compatriot Mick Schumacher.

    Because the Canadian couldn't manage for a long time in the first round and broke off a lap, he tried to get going at the last minute.

    But a driving mistake by Schumacher led to the qualifying session being aborted twenty seconds before the time ran out.

    The German landed with his Haas in the guardrail, unharmed but angry he got out of the bolide.

    Stroll had to take off the gas and give up.

    Meanwhile, his team boss bowed his head.

    “Very disappointing, Lance was on a good lap,” said Otmar Szafnauer: “But he has his share.

    He previously drove beyond the route limit.

    The round was canceled. “For Schumacher, however, little changed.

    Because before the crash tour, the son of the seven-time champion drove so fast that he was 15th in qualifying for the first time.

    “Well, you get the cake,” said Schumacher to the TV channel SKY, “but you are not allowed to eat it. That's how I feel. ”He left Nicholas Latifi in the Williams, Kimi Räikkönen in the Alfa and the second Haas driver Nikita Mazepin behind. More was not possible. For Yuki Tsunoda, yes; the fixed Japanese hung with his fast Alpha Tauri after just a few minutes in the track barrier. Yet again. Last. His team mate Pierre Gasly starts sixth from the third row. Bad air at Alpha Tauri?

    The pressure on the fast debutante to control his pace will increase. The topic of the week is not out of breath either. The indirect accusation of the tire manufacturer Pirelli that the racing teams Aston Martin and Red Bull were responsible for the sudden tire damage on the cars of Stroll and Verstappen during the Baku race led to violent protests. Both teams assured that the air pressure in the tires not only met Pirelli's specifications at the start, but at all times. Lower tire pressure increases the contact surface of the rubber and increases adhesion to the asphalt.

    If the information from the teams is correct, the loss of shape and frame of the two left rear tires after around 30 laps, both cars crashing into the guardrails uncontrollably, probably due to a design weakness. Because Pirelli ruled out the effects of debris or sharp edges on the route in Azerbaijan. The dispute cannot be clearly resolved because the International Automobile Federation (FIA), as the regulatory authority and, according to the task, a neutral authority, cannot check the information about the pressure status after the start.

    The teams receive data from a tire sensor, but the FIA ​​does not have access to this information. A standard sensor will only become mandatory next year. Until then, the traffic police want to seal the valves, use thermal imaging cameras to look at the temperatures affecting the pressure, and carry out spot checks to expose tampering. To prevent these dreaded accidents from happening again, for whatever reason, Pirelli had already raised the minimum pressure for training on Friday.