© Vladimir RysChristian's Column: Maiden In MugelloIn this week’s column Christian discusses Alex's success, Max's disappointment, plus his verdict after getting behind the wheel of the Aston Martin Valkyrie.
Christian Congratulates The Team© Getty Images
He might have been wearing a mask, but there was no hiding the smile on Alex's face as he took his first podium in Mugello. In doing so, he also became the first Thai driver to stand on the podium in F1.
The race marked the end of the third triple-header of the season and we are now past the halfway point in the 2020 calendar.
I was delighted to see Alex achieve his first F1 podium on Sunday. There has been quite a bit of external pressure on him this year, especially from the media. He is such a nice guy out of the car but he is mentally very strong and what impresses me is that he is always able to come back and put in a performance, especially on race day. After a bad Saturday, he's always brushed himself down and come back strong on Sunday.
In the last three races he has started to make a lot of progress. Alex is a deep thinker and he works very hard. He is super analytical and very honest with his feedback.
He is also a gritty racer and knows how to get his elbows out, which is one of the reasons he is a Red Bull driver. He has that never give up mentality and he keeps coming back even when the chips are down which we expect from our drivers. Look at his moves on Daniel Ricciardo and Sergio Perez in Mugello that got him the podium. Daniel is one of the hardest racers and latest brakers on the grid, and that pass was for a podium AND a tattoo for Cyril! So, there was no way that Daniel was going to give that up and to pass him around the outside of Turn One showed great bravery and racecraft.
The podium will be good for Alex. A big thing for all drivers is thinking you can do it but it is only when you actually achieve a podium or a win that you think 'ok I can do this'. It is the realisation and I really hope this opens the doors for him confidence wise and that he walks tall as he deserves his seat and his place in F1.
He is also the first Thai driver to stand on the podium and the first from that side of the garage since Daniel won Monaco in 2018, so he has achieved something great for his car crew. He is very popular in the Team, he has gelled very well with everyone and we all want him to succeed.
Car Crew 23 Celebrate© Vladimir Rys
Max's frustration at another DNF is totally understandable. From the very first lap in Mugello he was on it. We had a very fast car and some real progress has been made with the balance of the car. That is what was so galling for him. In the heat of the moment when you have gone from the adrenaline of the start to the disappointment of ending up in the gravel trap, it is only natural to vent on the radio. We really felt that in the race we could take the fight to Mercedes. He had done the hard work in beating Lewis off the line and it was going to be game on, but of course that did not materialise.
If Max did not have that hunger, he would not be the driver he is.
It was the second race in a row and a huge frustration for him because he is hungry and wants it so badly. If he did not have that hunger, he would not be the driver he is and the one that we all want to watch fight for victories each weekend.
He has to get it out of his system now and then look forward. We will go through it with him prior to Sochi and discuss what has been done behind the scenes between Honda and the Team to help so it is rectified for the next race.
Max With A Race He Won't Want To Remember© Vladimir Rys
MugelloMadnessWasAWelcomeAdditionToTheCalendar
It is great that F1 are going to these different venues and we have some more coming up in Istanbul and Imola. It keeps up the competition for a place for one of the 22 slots on the calendar and I think it would be good to have some sort of invitation race once a year to take in these different tracks.
As for Mugello, I raced there in 1997 and the venue is so spectacular. The track layout has not changed at all since I was there 23 years ago. It is an old school circuit and quite punishing, but clearly you can race there and the drivers loved it.
Next up is Sochi where I expect Mercedes to be fired up and pretty dominant as it is their type of track, but as we have seen this season tyre degradation is an interesting factor. They weren't stretched last weekend but you could hear how nervous they were, instructing their drivers to stay off the kerbs. So, it would be great if we can be competitive in Sochi and put them under a little bit of pressure, because that is when things can happen.
Championship wise, we are very much outsiders now and every race is a cup final for us. We are just going to go for it as we have nothing to lose. We are determined to get ourselves back into a position to contend for championships and we will get there.
Mercedes are setting the bar high at the moment and are doing a great job, but everybody is beatable. You just have to work hard, work smart and have the right people around you and I very much believe that is the case in this Team.
We have a hugely talented group of people at the factory, a strong Team and a great strength in depth. We have a hugely talented group of people at the factory, a strong Team and a great strength in depth so it will come, we just have to keep working away at it.
I am as motivated as I was 15 years ago, even though I am now the longest serving team principal in the current paddock, the veteran, at 46!
Christian Takes A Look At The Pit Lane© Vladimir Rys
With the races coming back-to-back, we did not have too much time to reflect on Pierre Gasly's win in Monza. He did a great job to convert his opportunity into a win and, on a day we could not compete for the victory and the day that Mercedes had a shocker, then there is no better team than our sister team, AlphaTauri to take victory.
It was brilliant for them and good to see a different podium. It was great for Pierre but for our outlook it doesn't really change anything. AlphaTauri are now more of a sister team, rather than a junior team, so their aspirations are slightly different therefore having a driver with experience and talent like Pierre is working well in that environment.
We really enjoy working with everyone at Honda and together we are fully focused on resolving the issues we have had recently. As for Honda. They are the only engine manufacturer to win races with two different teams in the hybrid era which is a phenomenal achievement. They share the pain and the gain from winning and losing and we have a true partnership. We really enjoy working with everyone at Honda and together we are fully focused on resolving the issues we have had recently. We all have one goal – to win an F1 championship together.
After getting back to the UK I was excited to get out on track myself, behind the wheel of the new Aston Martin Valkyrie at Silverstone.
Having seen Max and Alex drive it earlier this year I knew it would be an awesome experience and it did not disappoint. The car is as close to a race car as you are ever going to get. It has a ridiculous amount of downforce and a crazy amount of power. It took me back to my driving days when I raced, but with more downforce!
Max And Alex Drive The Valkyrie© Getty Images
It was a great day for Adrian as well. Driving a car that he had conceived and designed with an iconic brand such as Aston Martin was very special, and for all our guys at Red Bull Advanced Technologies who have put so much into it. It is a phenomenal car.
I think the customers are going to love it. It is an amazing machine and it will be an icon in the history of supercars.
As for my lap time. All I can say is we purposely did not have a stop watch there as it may have got a little competitive between myself and Adrian. I was just relieved to bring it back to the pit lane in one piece!
