Let us analyse the major takeaways from a wet, thrilling, sometimes borderline dangerous but never dull Emilia Romangna Grand Prix.
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The Emilia Romagna GP at Imola over this weekend was nothing if not eventful. The Imola Formula One track is old school with no margin for errors. Little wonder then that defending world champion Lewis Hamilton was left ruing a basic error that potentially cost him the win. Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen rightfully claimed a win that saw him stake a serious claim to the world championship this year. However, there was disappointment for Hamilton and Verstappen’s teammates but plenty of joy for other drivers.
Started the day in the ?
Ended it in @FerrariTrento ?#ImolaGP ?? #F1 pic.twitter.com/fUf6GKBxKi
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 18, 2021
Let us analyse the major takeaways from a wet, thrilling, sometimes borderline dangerous but never dull Emilia Romagna GP.
Technically, Verstappen showed his title credentials at Bahrain itself when he pushed Hamilton to his absolute limit. But Imola was all Max. He took the lead from Hamilton on turn 1 of Lap 1 and never looked back. Red Bull were expected to be pacier than Mercedes at Imola and so it proved. Nevertheless, take nothing away from the young Dutchman and his flawless drive.
You don’t become a seven time world champion in F1 by making errors on a regular basis. In recent years, Hamilton has become an expert in minimising errors and maximising his own strengths. Yet a spin into the gravel track cost him any chance of winning. He accepted his mistake afterwards but probably knows he can’t afford any more if he is to see off Vertsappen and Red Bull.
Lando Norris and McLaren had another showing to be proud of. The ‘best of the rest’ constructor can take pride in Norris’ third-place finish. To make things better, Daniel Ricciardo also finished sixth. But the headlines belong to Norris, who is slowly but surely becoming a must-watch driver. He could have had second place but even the best struggle against Hamilton and his Mercedes. Third place, therefore, is no mean feat.
Speaking of young British drivers, it was a contrasting tale for George Russell. Up in 10th place and destined for a maiden points finish with Williams, he inexplicably crashed into the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. Russell was livid over radio and even confronted Bottas after the crash. Replays, however, suggested it was Russell’s fault to begin with. The youngster will need to show more composure in key moments to match his obvious speed if he is to be successful in the sport.
A defining feature of 2020 was how close the midfield battle was. This continues to be the case in 2021. Ferrari finished fourth and fifth, with Charles LeClerc coming in ahead of Carlos Sainz. Pierre Gasly’s AlphaTauri came in seventh behind Ricciardo. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso came 9th and 10th behind the Aston Martin of Lance Stroll. It’s two races in and every team has their own strengths thus far.
