The keys to the last battle Hamilton vs Verstappen: where to overtake in Yas Marina?

• Alonso, against Masi "It's too soft, there are no rules"

• Red Bull classification takes Verstappen to a pole that could be worth a World Cup

• Starting grid Classification and times

• The reverse of the race An ad in bad taste and panic to the pianos

• Verstappen vs Hamilton The details of four months beyond the limit

• World Cup 2021 Tie for the lead: 369.5 points

The blow was so severe, so painful, that

went around the bush with some calculations that did not convince anyone. "With that help he has won more than three tenths," said the Mercedes boss on

yesterday's

for

. Actually,

slipstream

, being very important, was only going to confirm Red Bull's superiority at Yas Marina, where

gave up 22 hundredths in the second sector and 34 in the last. Nobody, in their right mind, would have imagined something like this in the previous sessions, controlled with some ease by the seven-time champion. Still, hard to believe, Wolff wasn't exactly downcast.

The Austrian, famous in the

for his histrionics, believes he has other aces up his sleeve. Or that is intended to make

, his Red Bull counterpart,

think

. Both are fighting today the last battle of the World Cup, the only one that counts. And it will not only be about the power in the engines, the handling of the tires or the precision of the mechanics in the

. This war, as in the 21 previous races, will also be played on the psychological terrain. The atmosphere is filled, if not with lies, then with half-truths, like the one that Horner launched after an ugly shot of Verstappen on his front left wheel during the start of Q2. "It was not the initial plan, but it is what it is. Today in the morning the decision was still 50%," the Briton slipped.

The margins seem very narrow at Yas Marina, a track with few spaces for overtaking.

Despite the two DRS zones and the modification of two of the slower sections, this track could once again be the scene of a single file parade.

In the two F2 races, which led to the

title

, the difficulties in maneuvering were manifest.

Only the brand new champion left his mark with a great braking rush that allowed him to overtake a couple of rivals at the slowest hairpin.

Around lap 18

Perhaps for this reason, Mercedes prefers to entrust itself to the success of its tire strategy. Hamilton will start from the grid on mediums and Verstappen on softs, so Wolff will be able to leave his driver a few more laps on the track, trying to build his lead through the

. "Max will have to stop soon, so we will have our chances. It is a slight advantage for us," warned the head of the Silver Arrows. Hamilton, in a low voice, stressed the same line: "Today we did not find an answer to his great lap, but I think we are still in a good position."

According to some calculations that are handled in the

, reaching lap 18 on the soft tires would be a great strategic achievement. If Verstappen reaches that frontier - to which the Ferrari and Alpine pairs also aspire, plus

with the McLaren - he will simultaneously stop with these rivals from the middle zone and will be less hampered by them. "If we hold the softs to that point, the one-stop plan may be possible," predicted

, Alpine's technical director.

More or less oblivious to these comments, Pirelli has preferred to limit itself to pointing out the dangerousness of the curbs, high and sharp, similar to those that caused four punctures only three weeks ago in Losail.

Following a meeting with the drivers, the pianos in Turns 5 and 9 were smoothed out overnight on Friday.

Although effectively they are now less aggressive, a smooth ride, without pushing the limits of the track, seems as crucial as the speed itself.

Hamilton and Verstappen, on Saturday in the paddock of Yas Marina.REUTERS

The most attractive scenario, for F1 and for millions of fans, would be a heads-up during the 58 laps. A reissue of the show we attended in Jeddah. Or seen in another way, an update of that drama suffered by

in 2010 against

, when the Asturian did not find a single gap to pass Renault. Mercedes has been playing the game all weekend, trying to convince about the unquestionable power of Red Bull on the straights. "They have reduced the size of their ailerons, so they will have too much speed and it will be very difficult for us to overtake them," Wolff predicted yesterday, without mentioning, of course, that the aerodynamic commitment of his rival implies a greater degradation of the tires.

And without ever losing sight of it, the role of the secondary may once again be relegated to the shadows.

, who yesterday had to mount a power unit with too many kilometers on his back, starts from sixth place, two behind Pérez, forced to start with soft toys.

"This is going to limit his strategic options quite a bit," predicted

, Red Bull's great spiritual leader.

The Mexican, however, will want to make Hamilton as uncomfortable as possible, like a month ago at Interlagos.

After three grand prizes in mechanical inferiority, the Austrian team has found that point of performance that levels the balance.

And with all these tricks on the table, there is no better or more exciting outcome.

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Know more

• sports

• Formula 1

• Lewis hamilton

• Max verstappen

• Red bull racing

• Sergio perez

• Valtteri Bottas

• McLaren F1

• Mercedes gp

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