Answering Each Team's Imola Questions

Alpine: No

To accomplish the goal of building off of points, one must show at some point in the weekend that they can compete for said points. Alpine never did. After a mediocre Saturday that saw both drivers eliminated in Q2, neither made any significant improvement in position come the race. While Ocon did reach P9, he bowed out of the points with little resistance and finished in P14. Gasly was even worse, dropping to P16.

Aston Martin: ???

Obviously, Aston's question was more forward-facing than the other teams. We still don't have an answer, and we might not have one until the offseason. Not-so-hot take, Stroll will keep his seat. With performances like the one he put in Sunday, it won't be a question.

Ferrari: Probably Not

At least, not next year. Since announcing his departure from Red Bull, Newey has since clarified he will remain working with Red Bull on their first hypercar after leaving the F1 team. Despite the memes, that interview should eliminate rumors of Newey's landing spot until 2026.

Haas: No

Well, I did state that Haas likely doesn't see a way to score points without K-Mag serving as a human wrecking ball (car wrecking ball?). Evidently, they just decided not to score points this weekend. Hulkenberg got back into the points after his pit, but got overtaken by Sergio Perez and never got within 10 seconds of P10 after that. Haas settled for 11-12.

Kick Sauber: *hysterical laughter*

No. Absolutely not. I want to know if Bottas read my post and drove so poorly to make sure I had a definitive answer. Knocked out in Q1 on Saturday, then P18 on Sunday, his worst finish since Bahrain. Oh, and the two drivers he outplaced? An early retirement and a guy who started the race in the pit lane. What a joke.

McLaren: Resounding Yes

While the papaya pilots (it's hard to find a synonym for driver that starts with P, ok?) didn't come out on top, they most certainly proved that they've not only caught, but surpassed Red Bull. Red Bull might be down to the third-best car on the grid, but that's a conversation for another time. Lando Norris tore up the final 10 laps and made the race semi-interesting with his desperate chase down attempt. On a seemingly equal playing field, both in hard tires and with no floor damage for Verstappen, Norris' McLaren still closed the gap.

Mercedes: Not Really

Do I believe the upgrades helped? Yes, I do. Mercedes' straight-line speed appears well improved, and it bore a fastest lap for George Russell. However, that improvement cemented the gap between Mercedes and everyone else. As Harry Benjamin put it on Sunday's broadcast, it felt like the two Mercedes were running their own race, oblivious to the cars around them. Mercedes successfully widened the gap between themselves and Aston Martin, Haas, and VCARB, who appear to have formed the 3rd tier of cars this season over Williams, Alpine, and Kick Sauber. However, the gap to the top three teams, namely Red Bull, McLaren, and Ferrari, also widened, as McLaren and Ferrari both made significant upgrades. It seems like Mercedes has become fully trapped the good-but-not-good-enough level.

Red Bull: Yes

And what a win it was. After severe struggles in all three practice sessions, Max recovered to snag an 8th consecutive pole position. Despite constant comments about a lack of control or quick tire degradation, Verstappen held a clear advantage through 50 laps. Then his tires nearly caught up to him. Lando made it very interesting at the end, but Max prevailed for his 5th victory in 7 tries. The question of whether he'll repeat in Monaco now requires even more deliberation, though.

Visa Cash App RB: Hard to Tell

Obviously, it's hard to pinpoint a change of favor in strategy. Especially when the team's strategy just sucks in general! This was a poorly managed race, which isn't easily visible from the finishes of P10 and P13, virtually right in line with expectations. Then you look at qualifying, which saw both drivers make Q3. If you look even deeper, you'll see a Yuki Tsunoda who looked like a podium-caliber racer for much of free practice and the early qualifying rounds. VCARB has the car to compete at a higher level than they are, but they have to fix their Sunday pace to do so.

Williams: Yes, but not Albon

Good news, Williams fans! Logan Sargeant completed the race. P17, but he finished the race. Now, the bad news. Alex Albon voluntarily retired from the race following a pit stop failure and a penalty. Just another wash of a race in what's building up as a forgettable season for Williams.