Winners And Losers Of 2022 F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

As was the case a year ago, the 2022 Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix saw wet weather spice things up at Imola. There were battles up and down the field, major upsets, as well as another dominant win from reigning champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing. Here are the winners and losers from the fourth round of the season:

Winners

Red Bull Racing

After their troubled start to the season, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix couldn’t have panned out in a more perfect way for Red Bull Racing. Max Verstappen showed why he’s the reigning champion with a faultless drive, taking home not only the race win, but also the fastest lap. His teammate Sergio Perez also finished a strong second to secure the team’s first 1-2 finish since Malaysia 2016. With title rivals Ferrari having a nightmare of a race, the Dutchman now lies second in the driver standings with 59 points, only 27 behind Charles Leclerc. Red Bull Racing themselves are only 11 points off Ferrari in the constructors standings.

Lando Norris 

Just like in 2021, McLaren’s Lando Norris was one of the standout drivers at Imola, finishing a surprise third. Sure it was a fortunate one, but the McLaren driver was there to pick up the pieces.

George Russell

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On a day where Mercedes were set for a difficult race, George Russell absolutely maximised his time on track. He made up places on the opening lap and showcased sublime racecraft to finish a strong fourth, outshining his teammate and 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton.

Valtteri Bottas

The Finn flew under the radar this weekend, but showed great pace throughout the race, and was challenging the Mercedes of George Russell for fourth position toward the end. While the Alfa Romeo driver had to settle for fifth, it was yet another strong performance from the former Mercedes driver.

Aston Martin 

After the disaster in Australia, Imola was a relief for Aston Martin. Sebastian Vettel finishing eighth and Lance Stroll finishing 10th means a valuable double points finish to leapfrog ahead of Williams in the constructors standings.

Losers

Ferrari

It was certainly a home race to forget for Ferrari. Carlos Sainz’ torrid run of luck continued as he was wiped out of the race on the opening lap. Championship leader Charles Leclerc did not have a clean race either. Having lost second place to Red Bull’s Sergio Perez, the Monegasque tried to take the position back multiple times throughout the race, only to spin and hit the wall. Mercifully, he was able to pit for repairs and fought his way back up to sixth place at the end. While Leclerc and Ferrari still hold the lead in the driver and constructors standings, the gap to Verstappen and Red Bull Racing has now been slashed considerably.

Lewis Hamilton

While George Russell was the hero for the ‘Silver Arrows’ this weekend, Lewis Hamilton had a race to forget. The 7-time champion was stuck in a DRS train throughout the race, and only managed to limp home to a lowly 13th place at the end.

Fernando Alonso

It seems like lady luck just isn’t on Fernando Alonso’s side this season. After incurring sidepod damage on the opening lap, the Alpine driver managed to soldier on for a few more laps, but the damage to the car was too great to continue. The Spaniard will be hoping for better fortunes next time around as the racer he pilots this season does have  more potential that can be exploited.

Daniel Ricciardo

McLaren’s Lando Norris celebrated podium success, while on the other side of his garage, the mood was not upbeat to say the least. His teammate Daniel Ricciardo had a race to forget. After an opening  lap tussle with Carlos Sainz left the Australian at the back of the field, the McLaren driver could only finish in 18th place despite a tyre gamble.

Formula One will have a week’s break before the circus heads to Miami for the fifth round of the season. It is scheduled to run from May 6-8.