John N
The maiden edition of the F1 sprint in 2022 that was held at Imola yesterday saw Max Verstappen make a comeback after a slow start that saw him oe top position early in the race.
Here’s a list of those who gained the most positions ahead of Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen
Verstappen was at a loss to explain why he suffered so much wheelspin at the start, which allowed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to bolt past him into the lead of the F1 Sprint. And while he dropped back in the early phase, the reigning world champion slashed the gap as Leclerc struggled with his tires before using DRS to blitz past the Ferrari and into the lead with two laps to go. That’s eight points in the bag and his first P1 Grand Prix start of the 2022 season.
Charles Leclerc
Ferrari fanatics roared with excitement when Charles Leclerc moved from second to first, heading into Turn 1 at the start. Leclerc handled the Safety Car restart efficiently before pulling away out of DRS range with a flurry of fastest laps. But this meant he lacked tire life in the closing stages, which allowed Max Verstappen to catch him and wrestle the lead away – Leclerc finished second behind the Dutchman. However, it was still a special day for the young Monegasque driver, which increased his championship lead to 40 points (after Sebastian Vettel’s retirement) heading into Sunday’s race.
Sergio Perez
Sergio Perez made up for a poor qualifying session by finishing third in the F1 Sprint on Saturday afternoon at Imola, the Mexican gaining four spots to start the Grand Prix third for the second week in a row. He will also start Sunday’s race third behind Charles Leclerc, which gives Red Bull an advantage should Perez beat Sainz off the line.
Carlos Sainz
Sainz was unhappy with himself after making a mistake in qualifying that left him 10th on the grid for the Sprint. Still, he kept a cool head to complete an impressive drive in the 21-lap sprint, passing six cars – the most of anyone – to finish fourth and secure a second row start for Sunday.
Lando Norris
British teenager Lando Norris had mixed emotions after finishing fifth for McLaren, two places lower than his starting position. Norris completed only a handful of laps in FP2 earlier in the day after encountering a brake issue, but he suffered no such problems in the Sprint and could not keep Perez and Sainz behind. Although McLaren’s struggles early in the year meant that Norris finished best of the rest, he said that the result was a step forward.
Daniel Ricciardo
Daniel Ricciardo was one of two drivers who could not run in second practice, but the team made rapid repairs to his car and got him out for the FIA F1 Sprint race at the end of FP2. His getaway was strong, and he may have ended up fourth if he had not been sandwiched between Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen and dropped back. He lost places to both Perez and Carlos Sainz, but ended up ahead of Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen to end where he started.
Valtteri Bottas
Like Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas got no running in FP2. The Finn benched while his Alfa Romeo team swapped his chassis. But the car was brilliantly quick in the race, and after a poor start, he fought back through the field to score a couple of points and secure seventh on the grid, one place higher than he started.
Kevin Magnussen
Kevin Magnussen was the only driver in the top 10 to start on medium tires, and he later admitted that he was surprised to see everyone around him on softs. Having emerged unscathed from his contact with Ricciardo on Lap 1, he fought bravely. He ultimately slid down the order to lose four positions eventually—only one driver lost more—he held on to eighth, which was the last points-paying position.
Fernando Alonso
The highs of qualifying felt a world away for Fernando Alonso on Saturday, the double world champion losing two places at the start. He lost another spot to drop to eighth before relinquishing the last point to Magnussen with five laps to cross the line ninth.
Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher was one of two drivers inside the top-12 to start on the medium tire – his teammate Magnussen the other. The German showed a solid pace to rise two places, the Haas driver coming out on top in a thrilling fight with mentor Sebastian Vettel to finish 10th, a career-high start for the Grand Prix.
George Russell
It was an unexciting afternoon for George Russell, who like Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton lacked the performance – particularly on the straights – to make any progress and thus ended the 21-lap event where he started.
Yuki Tsunoda
Yuki Tsunoda put a frustrating qualifying behind him with an electric start that saw him jump three places. He gained another before the event was out, moving him to the fringes of the top 10 and in shooting distance of points on Sunday at the team’s home race.
Sebastian Vettel
Sebastian Vettel had hoped to convert his first top-10 qualifying performance of 2022 into his first points of the season in the F1 Sprint, but while the German defended strongly in the first few laps, he tumbled down the order when his countryman Schumacher got past, and he ended up four places lower than he started.
Lewis Hamilton
Lewis Hamilton cut a forlorn figure after the F1 Sprint, the seven-time world champion having ended the afternoon one place lower than he started. He admitted there was no more he could have done, with his Mercedes team anticipating an equally difficult time in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
Lance Stroll
Lance Stroll did his best to pressure Hamilton but couldn’t find a way past the Mercedes on a largely uneventful afternoon for the Aston Martin driver.
Esteban Ocon
Esteban Ocon’s hard work was done on the first lap, the Frenchman gaining a position on the run to Turn one and then two places when Pierre Gasly and Zhou Guanyu collided. He’ll start Sunday’s race on P16.
Pierre Gasly
A first-lap collision with Zhou ended Pierre Gasly’s hopes of a strong result. The AlphaTauri driver recovered to the pits for fresh tires and a new nose – and while he picked off the two Williams with ease, 17th – where he started – was the best he could do.
Alex Albon
Alex Albon gained a couple of places on Saturday afternoon, but Williams’ struggles on the soft compound tires meant he didn’t have the pace to make any further progress. As he pushed harder, he hurt the tires, and it became what he described as a “vicious cycle.”
Nicholas Latifi
Nicholas Latifi’s struggles with the new-for-2022 cars continued in the F1 Sprint, the Canadian simply lacking the pace to compete, and he finished a lowly 19th, one place lower than his starting spot.
Zhou Guanyu
Zhou Guanyu had the worst afternoon of all in the F1 Sprint, the Chinese driver getting tagged by Gasly as they ran side-by-side through Turn 9 and ending up in the wall. The impact caused significant damage, which meant a long night ahead for his Alfa Romeo mechanics.
Here is how the drivers will start tomorrow
