55: Imola Showed F1 Needs Strong #2 Driver At Red Bull

Mercedes created history at the 2020 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix by becoming the first team in history to win 7 Formula 1 Constructors' Championships. That they've won it in successive years is proof of their dominance in the hybrid-turbo era.

In this week's Pits to Podium (https://bit.ly/pitstopodium) segment, Soumil and Kunal debrief the Formula 1 race at Imola. Will Mercedes' race strategy for Lewis Hamilton become a controversy in the days to follow? The team used all options to convert a 1-3 running order to a 1-2 at the finish. Also, what came first - the VSC or Mercedes' decision to pit Hamilton?

Also in this episode, Imola exposed Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen's desperate need for a strong #2 driver. Despite starting from pole position, Valtteri Bottas lost the race to Hamilton for no fault of his own. In fact, Bottas would've benefited had Albon been racing with the front runners. Btw, ALB blamed a hit for his late-race spin! (Maybe he should've blamed it on Ericsson?)

In the mid-field, the battle for P3 in the race and the Constructors' Championship was decided by teams taking risks with choosing either track position or fresh rubber. In the end, RIC & LEC benefited from track position, a wiser choice given the higher level of overtaking difficulty. And of course, PER's 3rd missed podium opportunity of the season. We wrap up the episode talking about GAS' ill-luck, KVY's racy self, the Alfa Romeo duo and Ferrari's missed chance for VET. Tune in!

(Season 2020, Episode 55)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Soumil Arora (https://twitter.com/iamsoumilaroraa) and Kunal Shah (http://www.twitter.com/kunalashah)

Music courtesy: Lucien Byfieldt (https://lucienbyfieldt.bandcamp.com/)

Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool