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Max Verstappen won the Sprint and took the pole position in the starting grid for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
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. As things stand, Verstappen finds himself in the fifth position with 33 points on the drivers’ championship leaderboard.
Max Verstappen has started the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on a very positive note, winning the sprint and securing pole position in Imola. However, there have been questioning marks over the consistency of Red Bull’s new RB18 car – it would be interesting to see if Verstappen can convert his pole position to a P1 finish or if there is something else in store for us.
If Verstappen is to win in Imola, the new RB18’s modified engine has to be at its efficient best. Despite being efficient in pitstops, Red Bull is yet to find a solution for its technical woes which primarily include car over-heating mostly as a result of engine issues. 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 which 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 is the favorite to win the race in Imola.
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