When Plans Get Punched in F1

This is the Statt Mann Baby. Time to Scatt a little bit.

Every driver wants to win. It’s the way they’re wired. But team drivers have priorities. The first is beating their teammates.

Ferrari had trouble with all of it today in Russia. Apparently the team had a plan for pole sitter Charles LeClerc to lead teammate Sebastian Vettel — behind him in third — to lead Vettel around Lewis Hamilton who qualified second.

But Vettel was able to take the lead in LeClerc‘s draft and he wouldn’t even give it back even when the team asked several times on the radio.

The real fun came when team officials kept Vettel on the track after his tires were worn out. That let LeClerc back in the lead. Eventually Vettel’s power unit gave out and put him out the race for good.

Funny how that works.

While all this was going on points leader Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes was moving to the lead and HIS teammate Valtieri Bottas was second holding off LeClerc. In fact, the Bottas drive might have been the drive of the race.

So, quoting Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Or, in the case of Ferrari in Russia, until you get punched in the race.

Peace.