Verstappen party - Leclerc: "A shame"
Created: 04/24/2022Updated: 04/24/2022, 18:48
The Dutchman Max Verstappen from Team Red Bull wins the race in Imola.. © Guglielmo Mangiapane/Pool Reuters/AP/dpa
Max Verstappen and Red Bull hit back.
Verstappen dominates rival Ferrari's home game.
Sebastian Vettel gets the first points of the season.
Nothing works for record man Lewis Hamilton.
Imola – Max Verstappen chatted relaxed and relaxed about his perfect weekend at the furious Red Bull triumph in Ferrari Land.
Adversary Charles Leclerc wanted to sneak out of the Scuderia's motorhome with a cap and face mask as unrecognized as possible, and the encouraging words of the fans could no longer comfort the remorseful Monegasque in Imola.
"There are no excuses, I made a mistake that I shouldn't have made," he said in Italy: "It's a shame."
Leclerc without a podium place
Almost 100,000 fans came, but after a Formula 1 race the Scuderia tended to forget the red party on the podium.
Leclerc couldn't get past sixth place after a driving error.
Carlos Sainz, who had had his contract extended by Ferrari, found his car in the gravel after a few meters.
The world champion was there for that.
In contrast to the changeable and rather bad weather, Verstappen could not have driven consistently better: place in qualifying, first place in the first sprint race of the season, first place in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with the fastest lap.
After two retirements in three previous races due to defects, the entire team was relieved.
Especially since stable rival Sergio Perez made the double success perfect in front of Lando Norris in the McLaren.
Vettel gets first championship points
It was not a chaos race as feared.
But one with a few losers, but also a few winners.
In contrast to Mick Schumacher, who again missed out on the hoped-for first points in the motorsport premier class after two spins, Sebastian Vettel was one of the lucky ones.
Eighth place and thus the first points for the 34-year-old four-time world champion.
"It all worked out," he said.
"It's only an eighth place, but for us it's like a win."
After missing the first two races of the season due to a corona infection and a completely screwed up appearance in Melbourne two weeks ago, the mood boost comes at the right time.
In Imola, Vettel once again made it clear that the continuation of his career depends on how this year goes.
Hamilton one of the big losers
Another multiple world champion was one of the big losers again.
Lewis Hamilton struggled to finish 13th with the Mercedes.
"I apologized for the car he has to drive at the moment," emphasized team boss Toto Wolff.
After all: Hamilton's new teammate George Russell made it to fourth place in the second Silver Arrow.
After his crash, Carlos Sainz leaves the damaged racing car with his head bowed.
© Luca Bruno/AP/dpa
Also because Leclerc wanted too much.
"I went over the limit and paid the price for it," said the winner of Bahrain and Australia.
With the soft tires, he slipped shortly before the end on the partly still wet track and spun with the car.
After a slight touch of the gang he had to pit again.
Instead of at least separating the Red Bull duo and securing second place like in Saudi Arabia, Leclerc missed the podium for the first time this year.
Verstappen is getting closer
He still clearly leads in the classification.
But Verstappen has come closer.
Before the weekend in Italy, the Dutchman was fifth and had 46 points fewer than Leclerc.
Thanks to Imola's maximum yield with a total of 34 points, Verstappen moved up to second place overall.
He now has 59 points, Leclerc 86. In theory, Verstappen could only get one point in Miami with a win and the fastest race laps and a zero from Leclerc.
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In Florida, the pilots should expect temperatures of almost 30 degrees.
In Imola there were only 13. But Ferrari fever was still rife in the crowded grandstands.
But that steadily declined.
Leclerc didn't get off to a good start and was immediately passed by Perez and Lando Norris in the McLaren.
Then the Sainz-Aus.
The safety car had to go.
And after it came back in, Verstappen defended the lead and Perez finished second quite confidently.
Strategic attempts to get Leclerc in position for a final attack after passing Norris didn't work either.
On the contrary.
Max Verstappen takes the lead at the start.
© Luca Bruno/AP/dpa
And behind others struggled.
Hamilton was overtaken by Verstappen after less than a third of the race distance.
What a humiliation for the 37-year-old seven-time world champion.
And Mick Schumacher also experienced what he didn't want to experience.
He secured tenth place in the sprint race.
In the Grand Prix, that would have been enough for the first career point in Formula 1.
But he spun right at the start and fell back too far.
"A difficult race for me," he said: "In the beginning I lost everything.
After that nothing worked.” dpa
