Ferrari unrealistic, Leclerc and Sainz from 5, Verstappen 10 for Saturday – Corriere.it

They have removed the red and black from the casino roulette wheel in Montecarlo and replaced these two colors with blue and green. The Ferrari (red) and the Mercedes (now black, after having already been silver) are no longer in fashion: now it’s time for Red Bull’s blue and Aston Martin’s green. Yes, nothing new in the Montecarlo GP. If anything, a lot of dj vu: the list of drinkers – unbeaten so far in the F1 season – continues in the name of Max Verstappen, while the team based at Silverstone is treated to another podium. But only with Alonso, the pilot of eternal youth.

HERE the report of the race in Montecarlo

Fernando Alonso: 10

Fernando now beyond Good and Evil and the rhetoric (perhaps a little hackneyed) of the veteran who never gives up. So let’s also take this second place – which is worth the podium number 103 of his career: equaled by Kimi Raikkonen, ahead are only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel – for what it should be: a masterful example of how to drive and how to try, with a machine not too inferior but still less equipped, to annoy the reigning monarch. Although detached, El Matador has always been a potential wedge in Verstappen’s side, forcing him to test the grip of the Pirelli mediums in a very long stint.

Esteban Ocon: 10

Very solid and also determined match for how he closed the door in Sainz’s face. The podium, built by a brilliant start from the second row, deserved and awaiting confirmation on non-special circuits such as Montecarlo, we must think that the bullshit at the beginning of May by Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine who baptized the whole team, is starting to pay off.

Max Verstappen: 10

As things are going, the vote for Super Max now comes by default. But he always finds a way to justify it: in this circumstance the masterpiece was the lap for pole position, in which he even tried to demonstrate that the interpenetration of bodies (in this case car and guard rail) is possible. However he didn’t even joke in the race: sprint, authoritative control, perfect handling in the wet and success number 39, -2 from Ayrton Senna. Maybe he exaggerated in pushing and risked something too much: this is the nitpicking, which is needed anyway.

Gabriel Min: 10

Digression to Formula 3 to greet the first career success (in the Feature Race of the category) of the eighteen-year-old Sicilian from Marineo, driver of the Alpine Hitech and Academy. Italy needs young people who, one day (hopefully not far away), will relaunch its presence in F1: this result is a good sign. Gabriele in Nicolas Todt’s driver portfolio: let’s say that even on the manager’s front he’s not in bad shape.

Lewis Hamilton: 7

The old cur is still there, fighting with us and once again keeping George Russell behind. He tried to target Ocon and the podium, but it was too complicated a target for an improved Mercedes, thanks to new bellies and new suspension, but for the moment still not at the top.

Pierre Gasly: ​​7

He mimics Ocon, in turn bringing Alpine precious points as a dowry. He slipped into seventh place, between the two Ferraris: improvements on his front as well.

Yuki Tsunoda: 7

He held the AlphaTauri ahead of the McLarens before finding himself driving an undriveable car. But his great test on the water, indeed inside the water, was provided by helping to shovel the mud from the flood that hit the Faenza where he lives. For this Yuki deserves 110 cum laude, with a degree in generosity.

Mclaren: 6

He remains in the aurea mediocritas, but scores points with both Norris and Piastri (taking advantage of Tsunoda’s collapse) showing one characteristic: the car went better on a wet track. Not that in Woking they have designed an offshore more than an F1 car?

Frederic Vasseur: 6

We grant him political sufficiency as a present for his 55th birthday. But we expect a turning point from the team principal, although unfortunately the season already seems compromised, and above all some more scathing comments: for now we are politically correct and in hot air.

George Russell: 5

Maluccio very much: the mistake at Mirabeau, made worse by the ill-considered return to the track with which he hit Perez, making up for a 5 second penalty, was decisive in breaking down any hopes of a podium finish.

Carlos Sainz: 5

Too much haste in attacking Ocon, with whom he seemed to have to settle accounts: after hitting him at the harbor chicane, damaging the left side skirt of the front wing and risking being forced to pit if the appendix hadn’t detached, he pushed it again and got a black/white flag (basically an official warning). Finally went wide at the Mirabeau, slipping to eighth final place. If we want to save something from her day under the slap, we can say that the will has put her. But little.

Charles Leclerc: 5

His Montecarlo remains once again a taboo. Having said that the conditions for another Sunday in Monaco in white had been laid by the team’s mistake during qualifying (which cost, let us remember, the relegation from third to sixth place on the grid), the fact that Charles was never a protagonist did not escape notice. He defended the Scuderia’s choice not to immediately call the riders back to put in the intermediates: We took some risks, but when it rains and many cars run on slick tires it pays more to stay out and wait for a possible safety car. Not even the hand of dice with the lot was won.

Aston Martin: 5

The strategy mistake with Fernando Alonso was sensational: the Spaniard was sent back to the track with slicks instead of intermediates (which everyone was putting on). With one more stop, Fernando’s hopes of undermining Verstappen were wrecked.

Kevin Magnussen: 5

From now on, when you want to threaten someone, just say: Watch out, I’ll send you Magnussen…. Hard as iron and bad as few. The Dane needs to calm down. A curious tweet read about him: After this race he will have to go to therapy.

Ferraris: 4.5

Flat calm, the signs of recovery remain linked only to velleitar proclamationsi, like hypothesizing pole and victory in this GP. Nothing could be so far from reality, because if on Saturday the performance is promising, on Sunday the donkey falls punctually: the ups and downs are too many and the problem of the deterioration of the performance of the tires remains. If possible, it went worse than in Miami: a sixth and an eighth place are not enough and are not helpful both for morale and for the will to fight. In Montecarlo, for the record, the Reds became the fifth force after Red Bull, Aston Martin, Mercedes and Alpine.

Lance Stroll: 3

Once again stripped by Alonso, the Canadian lost his way badly, making up for blows here and there. But doesn’t dad Stroll, owner of the team, say anything to him at all?

Sergio Perez: 3

The catastrophic mistake in Q1 on Saturday, costing him the start from last place, could only propose hellish scenarios. He tried to put her on the strategy, changing the tires first and aiming for the long run, but then he combined more than Bertoldo. Two races were enough, after the feat in Baku, to fix him for the holidays: other than attacking Max for the World Championship, it would be better to beware of Alonso who is ever closer to his second place.

Weather forecast: 0

Predicting the weather is never as uncertain as in Formula 1: each team had its own timing regarding the arrival of the rain. And perhaps no one, especially in terms of quantity of water, has taken us.