Red Bull dominated in Ferrari's backyard as Max Verstappen came first, 16 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergi Perez in P2.
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The 2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix served up quite a few surprises and delivered a stunning race that could very well have far-reaching implications on the world championship picture. Red Bull dominated in Ferrari’s backyard as Max Verstappen came first, 16 seconds ahead of his teammate Sergi Perez in P2. It was Red Bull’s first 1-2 finish since 2016. Their title rival Ferrari? Let’s just say it was not a happy homecoming. Carlos Sainz crashed on the very first lap and a spin for Charles Leclerc saw him go only as high as P6. Lewis Hamilton can also be probably bunched in the same category as people who want to forget all about the race weekend. The Mercedes man started the race in P14 and finished P13. It was, however, a monumental day for McLaren’s Lando Norris who scored his first podium finish of the season with P3. From all the thrills and spills of the weekend, here are five takeaways from the Emilia Romagna GP.
After three retirements in as many races, one would probably believe that there was something wrong with the new RB18, but those doubts have certainly been washed away by a hellacious performance by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez at Imola. The team’s first 1-2 finish was achieved with a large degree of dominance and relative ease. Verstappen, who won the race, was a whopping 16 seconds ahead of his teammate who finished P2. Perez himself has been an unbelievable investment for Red Bull and the Mexican proved his worth yet again on Sunday. His slick overtaking maneuvers and resilient defensive tactics saw him rise through the grid at the sprint race to start from P3 on the grid, passing Charles Leclerc in the early stages, and finishing the race in P2 with the utmost coolness. Going by this overall display, Red Bull have certainly worked their magic and it will pay off over the course of the season.
Yes, the Scuderia were the ones expected to have a 1-2 finish at the end of the Imola race, their own backyard. At least a race victory for sure. Championship leader Charles Leclerc is in unbelievable form and given the home advantage, many expected the Monegasque to be the victory. Unfortunately, Leclerc could not even get on the podium. His teammate Carlos Sainz was not of much help either as he crashed out on the very first lap.
However, the silver lining to all of this is that these problems are not long-term, at all. Leclerc’s spin was due to his greed and overconfidence, which he will surely be able to keep a check on the upcoming races while Sainz’s crash was not even his fault. It was McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo who made contact with the Ferrari in the first place that made the Spaniard lose control. So, for the next race, fans can expect normal service to be resumed at the Scuderia.
It took a while, but McLaren’s Lando Norris is finally up and running. The young Brit is looked at as one of the most promising F1 drivers today and while it might have taken him a while to get going in 2022, Imola was just the test he needed. After qualifying P5 in the Sprint race, Norris drove a brilliant Grand Prix to end up in P3. Of course, there was luck involved with Carlos Sainz crashing out in the opening stages and Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari spinning out of control for a while later on, but it was a well-deserved achievement. Norris, who has signed a new long-term deal with McLaren, can build on this result and truly come into the driver he has the potential to become.
It has been bad for Lewis Hamilton, there are no two ways around it. The seven-time world champion’s stats over the weekend are very unlike that title. He could not get his Mercedes into Q3, although that just could be bad luck with the rain, finished the sprint race in P14 and the main race in P13. Definitely not the Hamilton fans are used to seeing. The thing is, his teammate George Russell is having himself a fantastic time on track, given the car he has got. So surely, Hamilton himself can do a lot better, at least better than the Imola weekend.
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Then again, the post-race team radio showed Toto Wolff apologizing to his ace driver over how undrivable the car was so perhaps it was something that can at least be improved to a degree in the garage. Hamilton’s skills are never something that should be in doubt but if he is just going through a rough period, then it is only a matter of time before the seven-time world champion shows himself again.
P8 and P10 are never great positions when you want to be a team fighting for the title but at this point, Aston Martin will take whatever they can get. Ever since the 2022 season began, the UK-based constructor struggled in every single race, failing to score a single point in the first three. Imola saw both Sebastian Vettel and Lance Stroll getting into the points, albeit not that many. It is not exactly an overly positive result but certainly something they can build upon. One certainly hopes that it is not just a flash in the pan and that they can keep delivering at least some points to build their season.
