In the world of the Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League, Red Bull driver Sergio Perez found himself in a difficult position during the sprint qualifying for the Austrian Grand Prix. Boxed in between Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, Perez was unable to secure a better position on the grid and ended up in seventh place. This was a blow for Perez, who was hoping to break his streak of poor performance. The short time in Austria, with Max Verstappen’s pole position lap lasting only 64.686s, could have made things easier. However, the need for drivers to create space caused problems for those at the back of the line.
The first seven drivers to start their laps had a reasonable amount of space between them. The Mercedes drivers were the first to leave the garage, with Lewis Hamilton starting his flying lap with 62 seconds remaining on the clock. George Russell followed 12 seconds later, Oscar Piastri 10 seconds after that, Lando Norris 34 seconds later, Carlos Sainz 24 seconds later, and Verstappen 17 seconds later. The size of these time intervals revealed where the problem arose. The cars were lined up one behind the other at the exit of the pits, and they had to create space before entering the track.
This situation proved to be detrimental to those who were at the back of the queue, including Ocon, Perez, Leclerc, and Gasly. Leclerc was exempt from this problem due to an issue he faced in the pitlane, which prevented him from starting a lap before the checkered flag. For the last three drivers, there simply wasn’t enough time to create the ideal spacing. Ocon, in particular, created a larger gap than necessary between him and Verstappen. He started his lap 13 seconds behind Verstappen, with only four seconds remaining on the clock. Even if Ocon was closer to Verstappen, one of the cars behind him would still have been compromised.
Perez found himself in a frustrating position behind Ocon. He was aware of the limited time and had to close the gap to Ocon to reach the finish line without being overtaken by Gasly. With only three seconds remaining, Perez started his lap but was frustrated with Ocon’s pace. He expressed his disappointment, stating: “I don’t know what Esteban was doing there. Apparently, he had to drive very slowly, and I did my last lap half a second behind him, and basically didn’t have a chance. It’s a shame because we had a more promising pace today, but we weren’t able to maximize it.”
Gasly, on the other hand, faced delays in exiting the pits. Despite starting to leave the garage with 2 minutes and 44 seconds remaining, he had to wait for a significant amount of time due to congestion. Gasly found himself behind Leclerc, but the Ferrari driver’s issue didn’t affect his time. The real problem was the number of cars ahead of him. Gasly tried to pressure Perez on the way out, questioning the actions of the drivers ahead of him. When he finally managed to get out, Gasly was advised to focus on a quick lap, with little expectation of making it in time.
During the race, Gasly received updates about his position relative to where he needed to be. He was about 18 seconds behind the target at the corner and received instructions to accelerate in the second half of the lap. However, he had Perez just ahead of him, who in turn had Ocon ahead of him. Gasly expressed his frustration, asking, “What is Esteban doing?” in reference to the gap Ocon had created. Gasly crossed the finish line two seconds before the checkered flag, directly behind Ocon and Perez. Ocon, on used soft tires, was slower than his performance in Q2 on medium Pirelli tires, resulting in his seventh place. Perez, on new tires, finished in eighth place, with Gasly finishing behind him in frustration. Considering that Gasly used soft tires and the Alpine was the fifth fastest car, it is unlikely that he could have climbed much higher.
These situations are becoming increasingly common in Formula 1 and highlight the problem of cars being released from the garage late. This was the decline of Red Bull, in Perez’s case, and Alpine in Austria.
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Soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo scored an incredible goal during last night’s match. The Juventus player once again showed his exceptional skill by dribbling past several opponents and shooting the ball into the right corner of the goal. With this goal, Ronaldo achieved an important milestone in his career, becoming the all-time leading scorer.
The match between Juventus and Real Madrid was thrilling from start to finish. Both teams showed incredible performance, but it was Ronaldo who shone once again. With his speed and agility, he managed to dribble past the defenders of Real Madrid and score a goal that will go down in history.
Ronaldo is known for his exceptional skill in football. He has already won several awards and broken several records throughout his career. With his latest goal, he surpassed the previous record for the all-time leading scorer, established by Pelé. At 39 years old, Ronaldo continues to prove that he is still one of the best players in the world.
Ronaldo’s goal was celebrated by his teammates and the Juventus fans. The player received many compliments for his brilliant performance and was considered the highlight of the match. His exceptional skill and determination on the field are characteristics that make him a unique player.
With this historic goal, Ronaldo continues to write his name in the football record books. His career is marked by unforgettable moments and impressive achievements. The football world eagerly awaits to see what else he will be able to accomplish in the coming years.
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