Categories: Sports

First training day in Montmelo: Verstappen sails to victory – Peter Sauber brought luck

class=”sc-29f61514-0 kHgAwW”>

1/16
Peter Sauber is present for Barcelona’s second training session.
Roger BenoitFormula 1 expert

During the first training he was still on the plane from Zurich to Barcelona. And thus missed places 13 (Zhou) and 16 (Bottas). Sauber laughs: “Somehow it’s still my team. That’s why I suffer every time the results don’t come!”

Memories of Barcelona 2022

Well, the living mascot already showed some effect in the second training session at Alfa-Sauber: 9th Bottas, 13th Zhou. “Normally there were always points here when I was there!” Like in 2022, when Bottas finished sixth behind Verstappen, Pérez, Russell, Sainz and Hamilton!

Zhou and Leclerc both retired here at half-time a year ago with Ferrari engine problems.

‘Hinwil owes a lot to Rausing’

Peter Sauber entered the circuit with the big man in the team, Swede Finn Rausing (68). The billionaire (TetraPak) has been keeping the team alive for years and will probably hand over his remaining shares in Audi at the end of 2025. Clean knows: “Hinwil and the fans owe him a lot!”

More Formula 1
First training in Montmelo
Verstappen: Ship ahoy – does Peter Sauber bring luck?
Scandal over ex-F1 world champion
Villeneuve kicked off shortly before the start of Le Mans
Unequal duel in Spain
Green Alonso makes red Sainz look old

Already present for the second time after the start in Bahrain: Andreas Seidl (47). The CEO of the Zurich Oberland tries again to take a close-up shot of his team. In addition, he must already prepare the Audi entry of 2026.

The silent CEO

Two construction sites that are not easy to maintain in terms of personnel and technology. But the German exudes great optimism. In the camper he had a long conversation with the legendary Ferrari race director Daniele Audetto (80) from the golden years of Niki Lauda.

Advertisement

Seidl does not want to comment further on the current situation. But he has his three bosses on the track: motorsport director Beat Zehnder (57), chief of operations Xevi Pujolar (50) and team representative Bravi (48).

Verstappen straight ahead

On the former winter test track, which is now 17 meters shorter due to the missing last chicane, the cars with their many updates first had to get used to.

Only the four-time winner of the season Max Verstappen (25) was immediately awake in the Red Bull-Honda: 1:14.608. That was enough for the best time – 0.7 ahead of teammate Pérez. Dan Ocon, de Vries, Gasly and Alonso.

Alinghi/Red Bull favourite?

The Dutchman entered the track in a good mood. He spent a few hours in the port of Barcelona on Thursday at the Alinghi Red Bull Racing headquarters. “I’m excited about this high-tech company,” said Verstappen.

Advertisement

And together with skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis, the 40-time GP winner was also able to test the Swiss team’s simulator. But Max also got the chance to slide on the waves of the sea at speeds of around 100 km/h aboard the Chase Boat. Verstappen: “So I got a little feeling of what it feels like to sail in the America’s Cup!” The 37th edition awaits.

“Communication is almost everything!”

It will start in 2024. Alinghi is happy that Red Bull Advanced Technologies is supporting the team. Skipper Psarofaghis: «Our sports have many parallels, in which aerodynamics play a major role. And on our boat we are in the cockpit with eight people. But communication is just as important as it is for Max and his helpers in the pits. You always have to make quick decisions.”

Field within 1.5 seconds

In the second training session, two-time world champion Verstappen looked at the situation on the track, which gave hope to outsiders such as Hülkenberg and Ocon (Monaco third). Until he struck and became the first driver to drive under 1:14 minutes on the only 4.567 km long circuit. Only Alonso in the Aston Martin nibbled it!

Interesting and almost unbelievable that here too the field of 20 is within just 1.5 seconds. Every tenth of a second that comes out of the minds of the almost priceless geniuses behind the scenes counts.

Advertisement

The results of the 2nd Barcelona training session

The results of the 1st training session

Source : Blick

Share
Published by
Emma

Recent Posts

Terror suspect Chechen ‘hanged himself’ in Russian custody Egyptian President al-Sisi has been sworn in for a third term

On the same day of the terrorist attack on the Krokus City Hall in Moscow,…

1 year ago

Locals demand tourist tax for Tenerife: “Like a cancer consuming the island”

class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/4Residents of Tenerife have had enough of noisy and dirty tourists.It's too loud, the…

1 year ago

Agreement reached: this is how much Tuchel will receive for his departure from Bayern

class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/7Packing his things in Munich in the summer: Thomas Tuchel.After just over a year,…

1 year ago

Worst earthquake in 25 years in Taiwan +++ Number of deaths increased Is Russia running out of tanks? Now ‘Chinese coffins’ are used

At least seven people have been killed and 57 injured in severe earthquakes in the…

1 year ago

Now the moon should also have its own time (and its own clocks). These 11 photos and videos show just how intense the Taiwan earthquake was

The American space agency NASA would establish a uniform lunar time on behalf of the…

1 year ago

This is how the Swiss experienced the earthquake in Taiwan: “I saw a crack in the wall”

class="sc-cffd1e67-0 iQNQmc">1/8Bode Obwegeser was surprised by the earthquake while he was sleeping. “It was a…

1 year ago