The Dutch Max Verstappen (Red Bull), the last world champion, won the first qualification this Saturday through a sprint test of the season and will start first at the fourth Grand Prix of the Formula 1 World Cup, at the Imola circuit (Italy).
Mad Max, who had signed the fourteenth pole of his F1 career on Friday, the first of the year, won the shortened race - one-third of the main race, that is: 21 laps and just over 103 kilometers - ahead of Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), leader of the World Cup, who was second; and his Mexican teammate Sergio Pérez, who will start third this Sunday, after finishing seventh. The three scored 8, 7 and 6 points, respectively, in a sprint in which, unlike last year - which only three did so - the first eight scored.
“We did well as a team and it's clear that it was a positive day for us,” explained the last Formula 1 champion and added: “I didn't have my best start, so we need to investigate what happened, but beyond that we had a good race pace”
Sainz scored five extra points with which he snatched second place in the championship from Englishman George Russell (Mercedes), who did not go beyond eleventh and did not add up this Saturday. The talented Madrid driver, recently renewed until 2024 with Scuderia and who will start from the second row, next to Checo, now has 38 points, forty fewer than Leclerc; and with one and two ahead of Russell and the Mexican -respectively-: who is still fourth, but with six more units than he had when he got up this Saturday.
In Italy, the Ferraris had dominated in the rain with Leclerc ahead of Sainz in Friday's first free. A day marked by variable weather conditions that led to numerous incidents and a few red flags: among them the one seen by Ferrari's Spaniard, who lost control of his car in Q2, because he pressed too hard, when an early rain was announced. An action for which, as unnecessary, he was later recriminated by his team leader, the Italian of Swiss origin Mattia Binotto. Sainz will aim, at least, for the podium at the Enzo e Dino Ferrari Autodrome.
The fourth race of the season, scheduled for 63 laps to complete a 309-kilometer course, will be held this Sunday at the Imola circuit - where Alonso won, in 2005, one of his 32 F1 victories: the 32 that Spain has throughout its history in the premier category -, starting at three in the afternoon (13 o'clock. 00 hours GMT).
TIME: 13:00 GMT (10:00 ARG-URU-CHI/09:00 PAR-VEN-BOL/08:00 COL-PER-ECU-MEX)
TV: Fox Sports
TOP 5 IN THE WORLD RANKINGS
1- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari): 71 points
2- George Russell (Mercedes): 37 points
3- Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari): 33 points
4- Checo Pérez (Red Bull): 30 points
5- Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes): 28 points
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