Max Verstappen put up a stellar show in Imola to win his second race of the season – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
Max Verstappen was at his best in Imola on a day dominated by Red Bull which saw Verstappen’s team-mate Sergio Perez take second place just behind the defending champion. Verstappen looked like a man on a mission throughout the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Verstappen won the Sprint on Saturday to take pole position and successfully converted it to P1 to seal his second win of the season. With this win, Verstappen has gone up to the second spot with 59 points in the drivers’ championship, just behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc (86).
Max Verstappen has had a roller-coaster season so far. The defending champion started on a poor note with a DNF in the Bahrain Grand Prix but came back strong in Jeddah to win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. However, things didn’t go according to plan once again in Melbourne and Verstappen registered his 2nd DNF of the season at the Australian Grand Prix. Therefore, this win will certainly act as a major confidence booster for the defending champion ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
Could Red Bull’s new engine potentially be a hindrance in Miami?
If Verstappen is to carry forward his winning form in Miami, a lot will depend on the RB18’s new engine. There have been serious question marks over the consistency of Red Bull’s new engine. It has already been a cause for 3 DNFs so far this season.
The Red Bull F1 team has already suffered three DNFs this season. Last season, Red Bull used the Honda engine which turned out to be successful. The Japanese outfit has however called time on their F1 return and Red Bull switched to in-house Red Bull Powertrains for their engine development. Red Bull is using their brand new RB18 car. It has been built to comply with F1’s overhauled technical regulations for 2022. It replaces the RB16B, Verstappen’s championship-winning car. The striking new features in RB18 are larger wheels, low-profile tires, and swept wings. The car is heavier compared to previous versions, which is a common feature among all F1 2022 cars.
RB18 is powered by an updated version of the Honda engine which was used last season. The V6 turbo hybrid has been renamed the ‘Red Bull Powertrains’ after Honda departs from F1.
A lot will depend once again on how the engine works besides Verstappen’s skillset. If Red Bull can prevent the technical issues, Verstappen will very much be in the running for a P1 finish in Miami.
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