MOTORSPORT: Red Bulls trump Ferrari at Imola

Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen scooped up all the sweets from the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last night to finally get his title defence underway in emphatic style.

Driving a Red Bull that was clearly best on ground, mighty Max was quickest in qualifying, won the sprint race to cement pole position, then led every lap to claim the race with fastest lap.

To complete a dominant weekend for the Red Bull Racing squad, Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez followed him home for the team’s first 1-2 result since 2016.

Lando Norris was a happy third for McLaren as his Aussie teammate Daniel Riccardo trailed home as the disappointed last-place finisher following first-lap contact with Carlos Sainz that punted the Ferrari driver into retirement.

The Italian result ended Red Bull’s early reliability problems with its RB18 but was a disaster for Ferrari and its rabid hometown fans, the tifosi, as championship leader Charles Leclerc could only finish sixth after a late spin while challenging Perez for the runner-up spot.

He had led the sprint race on Saturday afternoon under the dying stages, when Verstappen swept past to take the flag.

“Third was the best result we could have secured today, as our competitors were very strong. When I saw an opportunity to overtake Perez for second, I went for it, pushing a bit too much when I should have stayed put to secure those points,” lamented Leclerc, who still leads the standings after the fourth GP of 2022.

There was only celebration for Red Bull after a string of mechanical dramas and retirements in previous races, including two car failures for Verstappen.

He banked the maximum 34 points from the Italian weekend, the first of three ‘sprint’ meetings this season, with rewards for the qualifying race, grand prix and fastest race lap, to move into second in the series standings.

“It was a very lovely Sunday. It was more or less a perfect weekend for us,” said Verstappen.

“We have had such a difficult start to the season with reliability concerns and DNFs, so it was really important we brought it home today. It is a great result for the team,” said Perez.

In contrast, Lewis Hamilton was a desultory 13th for Mercedes-AMG after a lacklustre qualifying run and, like Ricciardo, was comprehensively out-raced by his fourth-placed teammate George Russell.

“This was a weekend to forget, that's for sure. Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. I hope for a better weekend in Miami. It will be difficult but I'll try and get myself in a positive headspace for the next one,” said Hamilton.

With teams racing in Europe for the first time this year with upgraded, the GP at Imola was the first clear pointer to the 2022 F1 pecking order.

Red Bull looks to have the quickest car, with Ferrari almost level-pegging, but with third spot an ongoing battle between McLaren, AlphaTauri, Mercedes, Alpine and even Haas.

“We certainly didn’t expect that coming into this weekend, so I’m happy to be leaving with a podium,” said Norris. “It’s been a tricky weekend, but the team recovered well to put me in a good position for today’s race.”

Ricciardo must wonder when his downhill run will end.

“It’s a painful one and it’s never nice to be involved in incidents. There’s not much more to say. Just one of those Sundays. We’ll celebrate Lando’s podium and learn what we can as we head to Miami,” he said.

Alpine looked good for a while in Imola, but the race was a failure for the French team.

“After Australia I feel that I could have scored 20 or 30 points in the championship, and I have only two. It’s unlucky,” said Alpine team leader and former multiple champion Fernando Alonso, who retired after contact with Mick Schumacher.

Aussie Jack Doohan had a miserable weekend in Formula 2, qualifying and finishing the sprint race outside the top 10 and then retiring on the first lap of the feature race after contact. He now lies just 17th in the standings.

The world championship continues with the inaugural Miami Grand Prix in the USA on May 8.

2022 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix results:

2022 Formula 1 championship standings: