John N
From the Red Bull and Ferrari fighting once again to McLaren looking strong; and from Mick Schumacher’s first top ten starts to Mercedes struggling, we pick out some of the key areas to keep an eye on at Imola
The Red Bull vs. Ferrari battle continues.
If there were concerns that Ferrari might run away with the championship after Charles Leclerc’s dominant showing in Melbourne, those were well and indeed allayed on Saturday in the Sprint as Max Verstappen fought back to win. Verstappen had already taken pole position on Friday, but we hadn’t seen the complete picture as Leclerc didn’t get a final lap in as the track dried again due to red flags. And when the championship leader made the better start to pull away at the front in the early laps, things looked ominous.
Verstappen and Leclerc put on a brilliant display for us in the #F1Sprint 🔥
We can't wait to see what the Grand Prix will involve with these two on the front row! 👀#ImolaGP #F1 pic.twitter.com/Nv7UPm61sJ
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 24, 2022
But Verstappen came back strongly and secured victory with a robust pass on the penultimate lap, setting up a mouthwatering scenario for the race on Sunday.
That’s because the two rivals are joined by their team mates on the second row, with Sergio Perez climbing through to third and Carlos Sainz fourth after challenging qualifying sessions.
McLaren looking strong
After a rough start to the year, McLaren made a big step forward during the Australian Grand Prix by finishing sixth and fifth. They proved that was no fluke with an impressive opening two days in Imola. Lando Norris qualified third and held that position for the first half of the Sprint before slipping back to fifth behind the quicker Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz. He found teammate Daniel Ricciardo in his mirrors as the second McLaren held station.
Although McLaren will be encouraged by back-to-back competitive weekends, Valtteri Bottas was closing Daniel Ricciardo down quickly late on, so securing another pair of top-six finishes in Sunday’s race will not be simple. But they’ve put themselves in the best possible position to score heavily once again and pick up the pieces from any potential dramas between the Red Bull and Ferrari drivers ahead.
Mick Schumacher chasing his first points
While Vettel and Schumacher battled it out, the Haas driver came out on top as he climbed up to 10th place by the flag after starting on the medium compound tire, ensuring the first top-ten start his Formula 1 career. It’s a result that shouldn’t be overlooked, as Schumacher ended up just three seconds behind the other Haas of Kevin Magnussen despite the Dane starting third.
Magnussen was eighth, but it represents an impressive performance from his less-experienced teammate and has put him right in the mix for points. Schumacher has yet to score in his F1 career, and the Sprint format means he was two positions outside the points on Saturday. But if he can hold onto his starting position–or even make progress up the order–he’ll finally end that wait in the Grand Prix itself.
The actual test will be the opening laps – with Mercedes’ George Russell starting right behind Schumacher – and his ability to handle the pressure of being truly in the mix for points for the first time in his career.
Mercedes’s poor season continues.
Despite bringing some upgrades to Imola, Mercedes are finding it difficult to resolve their car handling problems – and in particular, the porpoising that has hampered them since the official test in Bahrain – and look further back in the pecking order this weekend than at any of the other three races so far this season.
Despite bringing some upgrades to Imola, Mercedes are finding it difficult to resolve their car handling problems – and in particular, the porpoising that has hampered them since the official test in Bahrain – and look further back in the pecking order this weekend than at any of the other three races so far this season.
The Silver Arrows were also second in the constructors’ championship when they started the weekend but have already dropped behind Red Bull after Saturday’s results and are more likely to be looking over their shoulders at McLaren unless the two drivers can deliver some pretty remarkable recovery drives on Sunday.
DRS influence
One of the more notable aspects of the race was how much effect DRS had on the positions of cars. Teams that were closely matched in terms of speed could immediately employ it to climb through the field and seize a better position.
With such a difference in performance between different cars, overtaking could sometimes occur into the first braking zone if there was a gap of around 0.7s at the finish line. Still, there have also been many instances where fights went on for multiple laps because it was so easy to push hard on the tires, allowing those following to keep close behind and make their passes.
Only one DRS zone means most moves are likely to take place in the same section of track, but if a driver can remain within a second after being passed, they will have every chance of regaining the position on the following lap. As we’ve learned from the first three races, fights are rarely over after the first move in 2022.
