Imola GP: RedBull Hero, Ferrari Zero
The Imola GP turned things upside down with everything working perfectly for RedBull and Max and a disaster for Ferrari.
This is the beauty of sports ( and life in general). When you think everything is settled and a given, when things start to look inevitable – it is exactly at that moment that things turn upside down.
Ferrari Mess
In the previous race at Melbourne Charles LeClerc had a near perfect race, winning the GP and getting the fastest lap too. On the other hand Max Verstappen had a DNF and didn’t score a single point. The gap between Charles and Max ( and Ferrari and RedBull) had widened enormously. People were already crowning Charles as the 2022 World Champion.
But look how things turned around at the very next race which ironically is one of the home races for Ferrari. The crowd was packed with Tifosi, eager witness a Ferrari victory. Destiny however had different plans.
Unlucky Carlos
Carlos Sainz had a roller-coaster ride in Imola till the race started. He crashed in qualifying and thus started the Sprint Race from P10. But he made well of this opportunity, slowly making his way up to P4 by the time Sprint ended and was all set for an interesting main race. Things went downhill for him as soon as the race started. He did not get a good start and then Danny Ric clipped him from behind, beaching him in the gravel and ending his race immediately. It is not the race he wanted especially after getting a 2-year contract extension from Ferrari.
Like Carlos even Charles did not get a good start with both Perez and Lando getting ahead of him. He soon passed Lando but getting past Sergio was difficult. The Mexican Minister of Defence put up a strong fight, unwilling to give up his P2 position that easily. Ferrari took a gamble and put him on a new set of softs towards the end. But Charles got too greedy, pushed beyond limit, went on a kerb and clipped the wall. He had to box again to change his front wing and going back all the way to P9. There wasn’t much race left to claw back but he still managed P6, a lowly consolation from an easy P3 and a potential P2. Charles would be thoroughly disappointed.
Perfect Race for RedBull at Imola
On the other hand Max had a near perfect race, just like Charles in Melbourne. He started from P1, got a good start and never looked back. Sergio Perez ensured that Charles couldn’t catch up to him and Max even bagged the fastest lap. Max must be mighty pleased this weekend.
Mercedes meanwhile had a disastrous weekend with the seven time World Champion Lewis Hamilton stuck behind Pierre Gasly for pretty much the entire race. At the end even Toto Wolff apologized to Lewis for the horrible 2022 Merecedes car. The only saving grace was George somehow managing to secure P4, getting some valuable points for himself and the team.
This complete reversal of fortune for Ferrari and RedBull ensures that the Championship is now very wide open. Red Bull is only 11 points behind Ferrari and Max is 27 behind Charles.
Looking forward to the inaugural race in Miami, a fortnight from now.