The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Imola is affected by several accidents. Mick Schumacher also makes a mistake, but comes back – and disappoints Sebastian Vettel again.
Rain, wet tracks, spinning, blunders, serious accidents – the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola offered entertaining scenes. In the end, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) won ahead of world champions Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Lando Norris (McLaren). Mick Schumacher finished 16th in his second Formula 1 race, beating teammate Nikita Masepin again – and made his way back into the race after an accident and a destroyed vehicle nose. On the other hand, Sebastian Vettel had to lose the next weak race, only to be left behind for a long time – and to park his Aston Martin with transmission problems before the final lap.
“Today the worm was from front to back,” Vettel said: “It was not very positive for us, it should not be in any way. The feeling in the car is a little better, but there are one at the moment. There are some gaps for us. Walk without problems. We can only improve. “
Verstappen celebrated his first win in the second race of the year ahead of Hamilton. After a rare driving mistake, the Mercedes Star was still operating the damage limit. Verstappen said: “It was a big challenge, especially in the beginning when it was wet. The weather is still long and there is still a lot to come.” Hamilton said, “It was not my best day. I thank the team for helping me bring it back. I was trying to overcome this bad feeling.” after a Serious collision The race between Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and George Russell (Williams) was halted for nearly half an hour on the lap.
Schumacher prevented an early exit
Vettel’s bad luck continued in Aston Martin. His team was unable to fix a problem with the rear braking system in time. The four-time world champion started from pit lane – as Wittell had to fight his way from the back of the field as it began in Bahrain. A used afternoon photo fits a ten-second stop-and-go penalty.
As expected, Schumacher left his race far behind in the defeated Haas. After a good start, the Formula 2 champion went too far after an accident – overheating a 22-year-old tire crashed into a wall in the stage of an early safety car. At least he was able to stop an early exit, finishing 16th in the end.
Bottas had a very bad weekend
Everything at the top pointed to another exciting duel between Mercedes and Red Bull. Hamilton’s advantage of starting the 99th career pole on a tight track at Imola should not prove to be a guarantee of victory. After all, the challengers are stronger than ever, with the RB16B being the fastest car in the field. In addition, Verstepen has a competitive teammate in Perez.
The Mexican was second in the grid, ahead of Verstappen, who lost the internal team duel in qualifying for the first time since Canada in 2019. Red Bull offered a whole new tactical prospect, especially since Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas had a very weak weekend.
Veerappan got off to start a dream
All simulation games were made more difficult by a meltdown before the beginning. Parts of the track were so wet that drivers complained of aquaplings en route to the starting grid. When the traffic lights went out, Verstappen made up the facts.
The Dutchman got off to a dream start and not only immediately overtook Perez, but also overtook Hamilton in a hard-fought duel. On the slippery track, however, Verstappen was unable to extend his lead significantly.
It crashed hard
Red Bull reacted and switched from intermediate to classic slicks. The risk-free strategy did not pay off: Verstappen came back on track before Hamilton. As a result, Britton made a rare mistake, ending up in the gravel and giving up every chance of victory.
Then a violent accident ensued between Bottas and Russell – and racing came to a standstill. During the cleaning work in the pit lane, the drivers got out of the vehicles. Hamilton was offended by his mistake – it was a symbolic picture. Hamilton and Mercedes lost their dominance in 2021.
After the restart, Verstappen led the region. Slowly but steadily, he increased his lead in the competition. Meanwhile, Hamilton pushes his way forward with rage in his stomach and a minimally powered damage range.
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