MAX VERSTAPPEN secured pole position for today’s Sprint in a dramatic qualifying race in Emilia Romagna.
The Italian managed to successfully navigate his way around a wet Imola which entailed SIX red flags during the course of the day.
Australian Grand Prix winner Charles Leclerc also put himself in a good spot for the sprint by finishing in second.
However, Lewis Hamilton’s struggles continue as the 7x World Champion and his Mercedes colleague George Russell were embarrassingly eliminated in Q2.
F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix schedule:
Saturday
- Sprint – 3.30pm
Sunday
- Race – 2pm
Sprint race points
And remember the top 8 finishers from the Sprint race receive points.
First place 8
Second 7
Third 6
Fourth 5
Fifth 4
Sixth 3
Seventh 2
Eighth 1
Sprint race full result
And the final 10 after the Sprint race, with Lewis Hamilton down in 14th place.
11) Russell
12) Tsunoda
13) Vettel
14) Hamilton
15) Stroll
16) Ocon
17) Gasly
18) Albon
19) Latifi
20) Zhou
Sprint race top 10
1) Verstappen
2) Leclerc
3) Perez
4) Sainz
5) Norris
6) Ricciardo
7) Bottas
8) Magnussen
9) Alonso
10) Schumacher
The sprint podium
More woe for Merc
Russell was 11th and Hamilton down in 14th. Not the result they were hoping for.
It could make for more misery in Sunday’s GP. They simply do not have the pace in that car.
VERSTAPPEN WINS
The Dutchman wins the sprint race and secures eight championship points.
Leclerc is second. Perez is third. Sainz is fourth.
Norris (5th), Ricciardo (6th), Bottas (7th), Magnussen (8th) complete the points haul.
Lap 20 Verstappen gets Leclerc
He has taken the lead and is now pulling away. He got the move done cleanly at Turn One.
Verstappen is getting closer
Three laps to go and this battle is heating up.
Sainz is now up to fourth. So it is Ferrari, Red Bull, Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren, McLaren….
Hold on! Max is back!
He has now cut that gap to 0.7 seconds. He is looking to put some pressure on the Ferrari man in the final five laps.
Lap 14 Leclerc is looking comfortable
The Ferrari man is leading this sprint race and looking to extend his lead in the championship.
Magnussen is dropping like a stone
The Haas man is on the slower medium tyre and is struggling. He is now sixth.
Frantic few minutes
Perez gets Norris to make it in to third place behind Leclerc and Verstappen.
Ricciardo has also got past Magnussen and now sits behind Norris in fifth.
Lap 8
Perez passes Magnussen with the benefit of DRS. It is a simple overtake and the Red Bull man is up to fourth place.
Sainz gets Alonso
The Spaniards do battle with the Ferrari man coming out on top. He goes into seventh place.
Green flag – we are racing again…
The sprint race is back on as the Safety Car comes in.
Alonso nearly goes off but holds on to seventh place.
So Leclerc leads…
Verstappen is second, Norris is third. Magnussen is fourth and Perez is up to fifth.
Hamilton, has dropped to 15th after making a poor start. Russell has also dropped a place to 12th.
Oh no! It’s Zhou! He is out. Safety Car deployed
The Alfa Romeo man has crashed out on lap one after making contact with Pierre Gasly in his AlphaTauri.
Stewards have noted the incident at turn nine.
Go Go Go…The Sprint Race is go in Imola
Leclerc gets a great start. He is already past Verstappen. Norris keeps hold of third.
But boy, this track is tight!
Formation Lap
The drivers are making their back to the grid for the start.
But there is a slow getaway for Fernando Alonso. He’s now on his way. He cannot afford another slow start.
All set here in Imola
There is a slim chance of rain and as I type this, the sun pops behind a dark cloud.
Grandstands are filling up. But it is not yet a sell out.
Nearly time go in Imola
Under 30 minutes until the sprint race.
Verstappen on pole, Leclerc in second and Norris starts third.
Russell is in 11th and Hamilton all the way down in 13th on the grid.
‘No more suprises’
Red Bull star Sergio Perez is hoping there are “no more surprises” after some “extremely painful” retirements.
Perez said: “Well first of all, what gives us hope is that all the issues, all the reliability problems we had, we understood them, we were able to fix them.
“So from now on, hopefully there are no more surprises.
“Something unexpected can happen still, but we feel like we’ve come on top of them and that will be critical for us on our side as a team, to make sure we are able to collect the points we are able to get weekend by weekend, because so far it’s been extremely painful”
Credit: GETTY IMAGES Sainz extension explained
Ferrari Team Principal Mattia Binotto has revealed why he was so keen to lock down Carlos Sainz to a two-year contract extension.
Binotto said: “First, we are very happy with him, the way that he has integrated into the team, the way that he’s performing and I think simply that he’s matching the expectations.
“I think we are very, very happy and it was the right moment to look ahead, to look forward and I think that by renewing and extending, it’s like giving the right stability to the team as well.
“We know that our drivers are confirmed until the end of 2024 and we can build on it. And I think as Ferrari, really our main objective is to try to really create the foundations for the future, and together with that line up, I think it’s the best we can do”
Still fighting Vett
Aston Martin star Sebastian Vettel has said that the team spirit has not been shaken, despite their rocky start to the 2022 season.
Vettel said: “Well the car, obviously is not quick, not quick enough – we know that – in comparison to the opposition.
“There’s still a lot of work to do. But when it comes to the team, and the effort that’s going in, I would say that the spirit is unbroken.
“It doesn’t feel great when you come out of the session and you’re not where you think you could have been or want to be, but we know that a lot of stuff is coming and we will see in the next weeks and months whether it’s going in the right direction.
“But as I said, the atmosphere is good – we take it on the chin and try to move forward”
‘He’s the right guy’
Former Mercedes superstar Nico Rosberg has backed his old boss Toto Wolff to revive the team’s fortunes, after a difficult start to the 2022 season.
Rosberg told Sky Sports: “Toto is obviously one of the best team leaders that we’ve ever seen in the sport.
“He’s very, very strong in keeping people together and motivated. Of course he’ll have outbursts of angriness, as we’ve maybe seen, but I still believe that he’s the right guy to keep such a team going in such a difficult situation.
“[But] I can guarantee you that nobody in Mercedes enjoys being two seconds off the pace and being out in Q2 with not a single chance to be somewhere at the front – definitely, no one likes that. That’s quite a horrible situation to be in for them, who are so used to success.
“So it’s a tough one, it’s a tough one to keep the morale high, to keep the motivation for everybody, and also to not start blaming each other – ‘that’s your fault, that’s your fault’ – it can happen very quickly that you spiral downwards”
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
