Keys van de Grint thinks Mercedes gave him success in the United States. After the Grand Prix, German Racing Stable admitted that they were surprised by the speed of Red Bull Racing, but according to Van de Grint they deceived themselves. He also does not know if the Red Bull will ask Sergio Perez to allow Max Verstappen to pass if the Mexican leads the Mexican Grand Prix.
Before returning to the Mexican race this weekend, the former Bridgestone tire expert quickly looks at the United States Grand Prix. Lewis Hamilton got there quickly and had the best car, but Mercedes should not be surprised. They left it there in the strategy, ‘he believes.
That speed advantage that Mercedes gained in the United States does not apply in the next race, the Dutchman continues: ‘In Mexico, Verstappen, or rather the Red Bull, was the favorite. Maybe we should think of Perez in his own race. For the first time in his life, Perez is driving on equipment that will allow him to win his home race. Van de Grint would certainly not write him.
Red Bull without team order?
In theory, the chances of Perez winning are not that great. It could be argued that if Red Bull ends up in a situation where Perez is more present than Verstappen, the Red Bull team will go to the lineup anyway. ‘You might think so, but every team has its own objectives,’ argues Van de Grind, who did not take this as an end in itself.
It mainly depends on what priorities a group F1 sets for the year. “For example, if you think the builders ‘title is very important, it doesn’t matter in which order they finish. Personally, I would go for the drivers’ title because it’s so impressive. Not important.
The last example in Williams
To indicate that this is indeed a possibility, Van de Grind returns to the past. ‘Take Frank Williams as an example,’ he says RTL Slipstream. ‘He doesn’t care who among his drivers became the world champion. He was more interested in designing the car and giving his drivers the title-winning car. He did not care which of the two drivers eventually took the title.
No, only one thing is important to the founder of the Williams Formula 1 team: Rewarding himself and his best tech man: ‘He was primarily Patrick Head and for himself, wanted to do it for the title of Constructors’. Everyone has to fill it in on themselves. The world is watching those drivers, which is why driving is my personal choice. ‘
