Lewis Hamilton crashed into Imola
(Getty Images)
Max Verstappen won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday to reduce Charles Leclerc’s lead in the Formula One Championship after a Ferrari driver threw the podium with an expensive late turn in Imola, but there is still drama far from the title race with Lewis Hamilton enduring another nightmare weekend while Mercedes continues to struggle. Although George Russell showed the way to the Silver Arrows, surpassing his more famous teammate so far as Toto Wolfe and co. looking to deal with their problems since the beginning of the season.
Sergio Perez finished second to seal Red Bull one or two, but only after Leclerc made a late pit stop for soft tires in an attempt to catch him. However, this move had the opposite effect, as the leader of the championship withdrew with the remaining 10 laps of the race. Leclerc managed to recover to save 6th place, but sealed the nightmarish weekend for Ferrari in their home race in Italy after Carlos Sainz retired in the first lap after a shot by Daniel Ricciardo.
Hamilton’s misery in Imola was compounded when his bitter rival Verstappen circled him before the Briton finished 14th. And the Belgian-Dutch driver targeted Mercedes, insisting it didn’t mean outperforming his 2021 title rival after their problems throughout the season. Meanwhile, Hamilton dropped out of the title race, with a difference of 31 points from the second Verstappen and 58 points behind leader Leclerc.
Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
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Horner explains how Red Bull beat Ferrari at Imola
Red Bull team director Christian Horner believes the team’s ability to put its tires in a better operating window is key to Ferrari’s victory at Imola.
Max Verstappen won his second win of the season and finished ahead of teammate Sergio Perez to give Red Bull their first one or two since the 2016 Malaysian Grand Prix.
It was a day we had to forget about Ferrari, as Carlos Sainz crashed in the first lap before a mistake by Charles Leclerc caused him to fall from third to sixth in the final stages.
Red Bull scored 58 of a possible 59 points over the weekend in the sprint race, enjoying a straight-ahead advantage over Ferrari, which Horner described as the RB18’s tire.
“As we saw in Melbourne, the tires have a working window and we did the right thing this weekend,” he said.
“We could see this Charles [Leclerc] we struggled a little more with the front tires here than we did, both in yesterday’s race and this started to happen in the last part of today’s race.
“So it just gave us the upper hand, and I think Max [Verstappen] managed to manage the race perfectly.
“Check [Sergio Perez] he managed to build a chasm for Charles and manage that gap. And at no point, except for one trip through the grass with Ceko, were we under too much pressure. ”
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 5:30 p.m.
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Imola GP is one of Red Bull’s “best results ever,” says Horner
Christian Horner says Emilia Romagna’s Red Bull finish at the Grand Prix is one of their “best results ever” and exactly what the team needed after a performance below the nominal level in the Australian Grand Prix last time out.
Max Verstappen had to retire to Melbourne, but stormed to victory in Imola and Sergio Perez managed to make his way to second place.
“It was just the rebound we needed after the disappointment of Australia a few weeks ago,” Horner said after the race.
“[It was a] phenomenal performance of the team, because we took a little risk to come over the weekend with a few small parts that we put in the car, which is always difficult when you have only one session.
“But we attacked the weekend from the start and the two pilots were amazing. Both Max and Cheko [Perez] they drove brilliantly this weekend and this one or two finals, every credit to the team.
“To face the disappointment of Australia, to return to Imola with such a result, was one of our best results.
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Michael Jones April 25, 2022 5:15 p.m.
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F1 2022 Competition Calendar: Complete list of dates for each Grand Prix in the peak season
Formula 1 is in the midst of the biggest season in its 72-year history in 2022 with 23 races planned in top places in the world.
The series has been expanding since Liberty Media owners bought it from Bernie Ecclestone in 2017, focusing on key financial territories, including the Middle East and North America.
All but one of the songs planned to host the 2022 Grand Prix have been performed so far. This season brings a brand new race to the United States on the calendar in May, as the Miami International Speedway debuted as the second event in the United States, along with the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. The Florida location will see drivers drive 19 turns around Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team.
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 5:00 p.m.
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Sergio Perez could leave Formula 1 if the race calendar expands again
The 2022 season will see pilots navigate the busiest schedule so far, with 23 races between March and December.
There are rumors of adding more races in the future, with Formula One already announcing that they have secured a deal with Las Vegas to spend a weekend there from 2023.
But Mexican Perez, who has been on the grid since making his Sauber debut in 2011, insists he would retire from the sport if the calendar overload gets even bigger.
Speaking to The Athletic, he said: “It’s great that Formula One continues to evolve and grow. You can see it everywhere we go, people are starting to recognize you more and more on the street. But if there are too many races, it will be bad. At least for me.”
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 4:45 p.m.
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The Red Bull adviser jokes that Lewis Hamilton had to retire last year amid difficulties in 2022.
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marco joked that Lewis Hamilton may want to retire at the end of last season amid a difficult start to the 2022 campaign.
And Marco, who watched his Red Bull team provide one or two thanks to Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, questioned Hamilton’s decision to continue in the sport after his troubled afternoon.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the Imola race, Marco said: “I mean, he was surrounded by us, so maybe he (thinks) should have stopped last year.
Hamilton is 58 points behind Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc at the top of the drivers’ championship standings. He is also 21 points behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell.
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 4:30 p.m.
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Mercedes “plays the mind game” with Lewis Hamilton, says Nico Rosberg
Former world champion Nico Rosberg believes that Mercedes took the blame for the sad result of Lewis Hamilton at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to keep the British driver motivated.
Hamilton finished 13th, a lap below winner Max Verstappen and nine places and one minute behind teammate George Russell.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolfe told Hamilton that the car was “unmanageable” and apologized to the seven-time world champion in a grim radio message after the plaid flag.
But Rosberg said his former Mercedes opponent and teammate needed to perform better.
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 4:15 p.m.
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Statistics from Imola
Emilia Romagna’s Grand Prix was only the second time Red Bull had scored one or two in the hybrid era (the other was Malaysia in 2016, when Daniel Ricciardo led Max Verstappen at home.
Verstappen wins every time he sees the checkered flag this year – two Grand Prix and one F1 Sprint.
The Dutchman took a pole, a victory, the fastest lap and took the lead in every lap – the first Grand Slam victory in Formula One history, in which the driver took a P1 on the grid twice that weekend.
It was also the first time in Formula One history that there were consecutive Grand Slam tournaments for different constructors / drivers (Charles Leclerc, of course, won the last time for a Ferrari in Australia by pole, taking the fastest lap and leading each lap). )
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 4:00 p.m.
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Lewis Hamilton admitted that “without a doubt” he is “out of the Formula 1 championship” after Imola
Lewis Hamilton apologized to Mercedes after one of the worst races of his 16-season career.
The seven-time world champion finished 13th in Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Wet and Dry Grand Prix in Imola, a lap behind winner Max Verstappen and nine places behind teammate George Russell.
Sergio Perez was second after Red Bull secured his first place once or twice in six years, while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc came home sixth after turning from third with just nine laps to go. Leclerc’s mistake allowed Lando Norris to grab the last place on the podium.
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 3:51 p.m.
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Toto Wolff apologizes to Lewis Hamilton for “uncontrollable” Mercedes car in the “terrible” Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna
Hamilton was again disappointed with the performance of his car, struggling to make his way across the field and failed to overcome Pierre Gasley, who held the seven-time world champion in fear for much of the Imola race.
George Russell managed to overcome the ongoing problems of Mercedes and continue to rank in the top five, ahead of Valteri Botas, the man he replaced in the team to secure fourth.
Michael Jones April 25, 2022 3:39 p.m.
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George Russell reveals chest pain from a Mercedes that got on a guinea pig at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
The current champions of the constructors are tormented by the problem of bouncing more than most other teams in the grid in the first four races of the 2022 F1 season.
Still, despite securing his fourth consecutive place in the top five since joining Mercedes, Russell admits that the guinea pig has had a physical impact on his body.
Speaking after the Imola race, he said: “Jumping really takes your breath away. This is the most extreme I’ve ever felt.
Michael Jones25 …
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