F1 News
Must Red Bull be worried about Mercedes' 'rocket engine'? "Of course not"
- GPblog.com
Many seem to have determined it in advance: the Jeddah Corniche Circuit is a traditional Mercedes track. But is it really? The circuit is fast, but also has parts that are of a completely different nature. At Dutch podcast RTL GP Slipstream, Kees van de Grint and Allard Kalff discuss where Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen can take advantage of the street circuit.
"With street circuits, except Macau, you don't think of bizarre top speeds, but here I think we're going as fast as in Monza," says Van de Grint. "To get straight to the point, I'm really curious to see how they'll get through the first corner."
Chances for Verstappen in Jeddah
Toto Wolff hasn't shouted it from the rooftops just yet: in Saudi Arabia Mercedes will use the latest engine Hamilton still has at his disposal. Should Red Bull fans be worried about that? "No, of course not", Van de Grint answers firmly.
"The difference is not that big at all, it's relatively the same," the former Bridgestone engineer continues. "It's the package that's going to determine it, outside of the two men who have to step on the gas."
In addition, Van de Grint sees opportunities for Verstappen and Red Bull in the layout of the circuit. "Let's say that Mercedes might have a bit of an advantage engine-wise. On the other hand, you have to have very good traction in one DRS zone, for example. That's where I see an advantage for Red Bull," he explains.