Verstappen in control, Ferrari in slow motion

TOPS

Verstappen and Red Bull flavor

Looks like a perfect weekend for Red Bull. Max Verstappen dominated the qualifying rounds on Friday, the sprint race on Saturday and the main race on Sunday. 22 sat^and career win and second this season. That’s why Max Verstappen collects big points (34 over the weekend), just like Red Bull. With Sergio Perez’s second place, the Austrian brand has 58 points in Imola.

Also readF1: When Toto Wolff apologizes to Lewis Hamilton

Norris returns to the podium

Already on the podium at Imola in 2021, Lando Norris did it again at Emilia Romagna on Sunday. The Briton, who was fifth in the start, gushed as the lights went out to take third from Leclerc. Quickly overtaken by Ferrari, McLaren held fourth place for a long time before capitalizing on Monegasque’s (see below) error, finishing third and podium for fifth in his career. After a complicated start to the season in Bahrain, Norris is doing well in seventh place in Saudi Arabia, fifth in Australia and therefore third in Imola.

Also readF1: Verstappen wins Emilia-Romagna GP, Leclerc and Ferrari take the water

Russell and Tsunoda, lifts of the day

If Lewis Hamilton fought in Emilia Romagna (see below), this is not the case for George Russell. The Briton, who finished eleventh on the grid after a rough start to the weekend, finished a solid fourth on Sunday despite a lack of single-seater performance. This ensures that Mercedes scores equally well. Another great breed is Yuki Tsunoda’s. The Japanese started from 13^and rank. He eventually finished seventh and was back in the points zone he hadn’t known since Bahrain.

Also read‘Sorry Lewis…’: Verstappen returns to Hamilton, Toto Wolff apologizes to driver

Aston Martin opens its counter

The green cars were the only teams not to score points this season. It’s done now. Sebastian Vettel finished eighth, while Lance Stroll finished tenth. These points (5) were not necessarily expected, but they add a lot to the English team that has been suffering for months.

FLOS

Hamilton, Stations of the Cross

The seven-time world champion was dying to leave Imola, and we can understand that. A modest thirteenth, behind Pierre Gasly for most of the race, Lewis Hamilton never made it to the top 10 while his teammate was fourth by equal car. It definitely calls. The leader of Mercedes, who was stunned at the end of the Grand Prix, looked really impressed: “It’s a tough day. I’ll be at the factory tomorrow but there’s not much I can do. I’m just trying to stay positive.” And the news is not reassuring. His Mercedes will be the same in Miami in two weeks and we’ll have to wait in Spain to get the improvements. It’s a culinary season for number 44.

Ferrari passes

At home, Scuderia was both expected and disappointed. Carlos Sainz, just extended, missed the weekend. He made a mistake in qualifying on Friday, climbing from tenth to fourth place in the sprint on Saturday. On Sunday, his race only lasted a few meters. The Spaniard was harpooned in the first corners by Daniel Ricciardo, causing him to be out of the race for the second time in a row. For Charles Leclerc, he was a little better at second in the weekend sprint, but his mistake at 53 was his fault.^and The tour cost him the podium on Sunday. Finally, in sixth place, Monegasque took a few points but lost ground to Max Verstappen and saw Ferrari Red Bull return.

The French pulled the rope

Pierre Gasly twelfth and Esteban Ocon fourteenth were not good for the French at Imola at the weekend. They fought in the peloton, never coming back in the game. It’s getting harder for Gasly to see good form from Tsunoda, who is seventh in the finish. This was more expected for Ocon as the French driver had declared a difficult weekend on Friday after having problems with the gearbox. It’s a Sunday without Alpine since Fernando Alonso had to withdraw at the start of the race.