Honda's Verstappen Tied For F1 Lead Going To Final Race
December 6, 2021 by Honda![Honda's Verstappen Tied For F1 Lead Going To Final Race](images/articleimages/honda-verstappen-f1-saudi-arabia-1-400.jpg)
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So the title chase is a dead heat going into next weekend's Abu Dhabi GP, marking the first time since 1974 when Emerson Fittipaldi and Clay Regazzoni went to Watkins Glen in a tie for first in a championship chase that eventually went to Fittipaldi. Toyoharu Tanabe Technical Director, Honda F1 The first Saudi Arabian Grand Prix turned out to be a very chaotic race, which had to be red flagged twice. For Red Bull Racing Honda, Max who maintained third place at the first start, got the benefit of the first stoppage in terms of pit stop strategy and was able to lead for a while. However, in the end, he had to settle for second place, which is not ideal in terms of the Drivers' title. As for his team-mate, Checo suffered an unfortunate collision which meant he retired just after the first restart. For Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda, Pierre did a good job of managing a complicated race to finish where he started in sixth place. After a slow start, Yuki was up in the points until his collision with Vettel, eventually finishing 14th, but for a rookie at a difficult track like this, his pace had been good all weekend. In terms of the Drivers' championship, Max and Lewis are now equal on points, while Mercedes has extended its lead in the Constructors.' It means both titles will be decided at the final race in Abu Dhabi next Sunday, which will also be Honda's last Formula 1 race. However, we will not change our approach and simply concentrate on having the best race possible with our two teams and all four drivers.' Max Verstappen - Red Bull Racing Honda Start 3rd, Finish: 2nd 'There was definitely a lot of action today, a lot of things happened. I was told to give the position back, so I moved off the racing line and slowed down, Lewis just stayed behind me, I don't understand why he didn't pass. I don't agree with the five-second penalty, but it is what it is and we'll just move on. We didn't have perfect pace in the race today, so that's something to work on looking ahead to Abu Dhabi. We're on equal points now heading into the final race, it's going to be an exciting end to the season.' Sergio Perez - Red Bull Racing Honda Start: 5th, Finish: DNF 'It wasn't the best weekend for the Team, we lost crucial points in the Constructors' Championship, so we are going to Abu Dhabi now to try and turn things around. We were slightly unlucky with the first red flag but we got away well after the second restart. We got past Gasly and Charles and as I was coming out of turn three there just wasn't enough room for everyone, given how the corner was. I ended up tangling with Charles, he clipped my rear tire with his front right tire. It was a bad moment for everyone but just a very unlucky one. It is just a big shame because we needed those points today. I stayed with the car out on track because we were trying to turn the engine back on, we thought we could restart it but it was a bit on the hot side so we had to retire. It was a very important race for the Team today so this one hurts a lot but there is hope for Abu Dhabi. There is still optimism and something to fight for and we will give the final race of the season everything so let's look forward.' Pierre Gasly - Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda Start: 6th, Finish: 6th 'I'm very pleased with today, finishing in the top six in front of Ferrari, I'm really happy with that result and we're taking home a lot of points again. We knew it was going to be tricky coming to a new track, but we've performed well throughout the weekend and had a strong starting position today. It was a difficult race, with lots of things happening and it was very long, which meant it required a lot of focus. We know how complicated it is into the first corner here, so having three starts was intense, but we tried to take every opportunity we could and in the end I think we did a good job.' Yuki Tsunoda - Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda Start: 8th, Finish: 14th 'It's been a tough afternoon. I struggled at the beginning of the race, but I think the final restart went well and I managed to gain back some places. Unfortunately, I pushed a bit too hard and I had the collision with Vettel. The pace in the car was looking quite good at that point in the race, so I should've held off and waited for another opportunity to overtake, it was my mistake and I've apologized to him. It's frustrating as I feel like points were on offer today.'
posted on conceptcarz.com
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