The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix took place over the weekend, marking the fourth race of the 2022 F1 season. The 63-lap race provided some tense moments, and ultimately saw the win go to Redbull’s Max Verstappen, second place going to his teammate Sergio Pérez and third to McLaren’s Lando Norris, who took the team’s first podium of the season.
It’s Lights Out…
The race had many wins and losses on the grid, and heartbreak began on the first lap for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. His contact with McLaren’s Daniel Ricciardo at turn one left him beached in the gravel, with Ricciardo re-joining in P19. This marks the Spaniard’s second DNF, after he was left beached in the gravel at the Melbourne Grand Prix. Following Sainz’s contract extension with Ferrari, and Imola being their home turf, this Grand Prix should have been stellar for the team. Instead, it began and ended with heartbreak.
Alpine’s Fernando Alonso also retired early doors after contact with the Haas of Mick Schumacher. The bad luck didn’t end there for Alpine. Esteban Ocon received a five-second time penalty from the stewards following a chaotic series of pitstops, which saw him make contact with Sir Lewis Hamilton upon release from the pits.
The Bulls of Verstappen and Pérez got off to a fantastic start however, after Charles Leclerc dropped from second to fourth within seconds of the race beginning. Verstappen began on pole and kept track position to win the Grand Prix, but not before lapping his previous rival, Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton’s losses didn’t end there. In a continued struggle with his Mercedes, he began P14 and only gained one place in the entire race. In the end, he could not get past the AlphaTauri of Frenchman, Pierre Gasly. The pair entered a DRS train with Williams’ Alexander Albon, leaving them with very little opportunity. Gasly’s team-mate Yuki Tsunoda however had a great race as he went from P12 to seventh. Unfortunately his hopes for sixth were slashed in the last few laps when Leclerc, the current leader of the Championship, overtook him.
Leclerc Loses It
Leclerc span and damaged his front wing after trying to catch Pérez for second place. After pitting for a new front wing, he emerged ninth. He finished in sixth but, what should have been a podium for Leclerc and Ferrari, ended in disappointment. One man who didn’t mind Leclerc’s mistake however was Lando Norris. He gained his first podium of the season after overtaking Leclerc following his re-entry to the track from the gravel.
The Drivers’ Standings were shaken up after the Grand Prix, with Verstappen and Pérez closing the gap to leader Leclerc, and Vettel and Stroll entering the rankings too. If the Miami Grand Prix has as many wins and losses as this one, it will be a very exciting race!
