2022 F1 Imola Sprint report and highlights: Verstappen snatches P1 from Leclerc in exciting Imola Sprint

Max Verstappen won his first sprint of 2022 after overtaking Charles Leclerc by two laps remaining, to secure a pole position start for Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

wet friday Rehabilitation The session set the grid for this Sprint, after Verstappen took center stage on Leclerc with Lando Norris driving Kevin Magnussen from the second row. The reformed format now sees the points awarded to the top eight instead of the top three – more incentive to award them all on Saturday afternoon, under the drizzling clouds with the rain…

It was Leclerc, to a hearty reception from typhouswho took the lead on Verstappen when the lights went out – only for the safety car to interrupt actions like Zhou Guanyu (DNF) And Pierre Gasly (P19) made the call through Turn 9 on lap 1. The Green Flag race would resume on lap 5, Leclerc leading Verstappen and then Norris at that time.

READ MORE: Verstappen relieved to take P1 at Sprint after ‘terrible’ start at Imola

Championship leader, Verstappen skate in tow. The Dutchman was looming in Leclerc’s mirrors the whole time and was in range of the DRS with a few laps left, chasing Ferrari and making his move ahead two laps left – slipping into Tamburello.

Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez completed the top three, forming three positions in the first 10 laps and snatching P3 from Norris on lap 11 with the DRS.

Norris dropped to fifth for McLaren, and Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz climbed six places after knocking out the second quarter, which saw him start 10th on Saturday. Sainz got a P4 from McLaren just two laps ago.

That left Daniel Ricciardo in sixth place, where he started, ahead of fast-moving Alfa Romeo Valtteri Bottas, who knocked P7 away from Haas mid-level driver Kevin Magnussen late in the sprint.

Magnussen held the last point, ahead of Alpine team Fernando Alonso in P9 – who started in fifth but couldn’t handle the pace of his rivals in the lane – and another Haas of Mick Schumacher, who took the P10 over the middle.

READ MORE: ‘There’s nothing I can do’ – Hamilton desperate after losing position at Imola Sprint

George Russell returned to 11th after initially losing places, to finish ahead of AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin – who gradually fell from the top 10 to 13th.

Lewis Hamilton started 13th and finished 14th in another tough show for Silver Arrows.

Lance Stroll rounded out the top 15 places for Aston Martin, after starting the P15 for a Sprint race.

Gearbox issues put Esteban Ocon in 19th at the start of the Sprint and formed three places for the P16 in the Alps, keeping Gasly — who collided with Zhou at the start and poised for a nose change — 17th.

Williams’ Alex Albon started the last game with a brake failure in qualifying, and ended up 18th – teammate Nicholas Latifi is 19th, with Zoe retired only on Saturday.

So Sunday will see Verstappen start first ahead of Leclerc, with Perez and Sainz sharing the second row.

quote key

“My start wasn’t very good, but I think we were going at a good pace; it took a while to try and press,” Verstappen said. “I think we were better on our tires at the end of the race, I can get into the race, so I can get into the DRS, and we had a good fight until the second turn, but it was fast – and rushed a little bit.

“I am of course happy today but I know that tomorrow, with the start of the other tire vehicles, it could be a little different. But we had a good day.”

important moment

Verstappen’s stunning late pass on Leclerc restores Sprint’s lead after losing it completely with the lights out.