“A Shark Stalking the Boat”; Verstappen on the Track

One by one, Max Verstappen hunted down the red Ferraris on the track in Shanghai. After a strong performance in the sprints, it was an uncommonly dull start to the race by the World Champion. The late race marked the beginning of a more aggressive drive for Red Bull after a “lack of pace” for 36 laps. Better late than never, Max Verstappen, laying low in the beginning of the race rose to secure a fourth-place position. 

Since a track like Shanghai places a premium on patience, this race was all about pacing. Laying low in the first half, it wasn't until the 36th lap, presumably when fuel levels dropped and pit stops played more of a factor, that Verstappen started to tick up his aggressive pace. Accurately quoted by the commentators as a “shark stalking the boat”, Verstappen crept lap by lap to overtake the bright red targets in front of him. After the race, the driver commented on his pacing style stating, “We set out to do our pace, which was a fair bit slower than the cars around us as we were working to try not to destroy our tyres. On the hard tyre, it was a tough beginning…”. 

With just four laps till the checkered flag, Verstappen pulled an inspired act of turn passing, overtaking Leclerc and gaining the P4 position. While this illustrated yet again the skill of the World Champion, Verstappen has been mentioning all weekend how the RB21 isn’t meeting his needs. While the new car may look the same as far as liveries are concerned, there’s been a real shift in engineering under the hood. In pre-season, Red Bull described the changes as an “evolution”. However, in light of two Grand Prix and Bahrain Qualifying, it seems to be evolving in the wrong direction. Verstappen’s handling of the car is commendable, but his fourth-place win is a statement of this world champion skill. Unfortunately for his teammate with less clout, Liam Lawson doesn't have the same line of credit and could be cut as early as Japan. 

A strong performance by Verstappen can almost seem like a given in light of his superb history. Yet, with the changes beneath the liveries for the RB21, the four-time consecutive World Champion may be forced to lay low this year. Shanghai showed his ability to squeeze every last drop of speed from the underperforming vehicle, but as the season continues and we head to the Suzuka circuit in two weeks, it's up to the red bull engineers to make the necessary adjustments. For now, this shark is swimming with two left fins.