2022 F1 Imola GP: Race Review

The Imola GP weekend is done and dusted and we have a championship battle on our hands now. Max Verstappen took 17 points out of Charles Leclerc's lead in a true display of championship-caliber by the Red Bull driver. The Imola GP was not really expected to deliver as much action as it ended up delivering, as the sprint race format was a success in the eyes of the fans.

F1 fans walk away from the Imola GP confident that the 2022 F1 championship battle is going to be intense and not one-way traffic. With that in mind, let's recap and revisit Ferrari's home race where the team could not grab even a single podium.

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2022 F1 Imola GP: Race Review

Driver of the Day

Sebastian Vettel

Max Verstappen was flawless and Lando Norris was impressive at the Imola GP. What Sebastian Vettel was able to achieve this weekend in that Aston Martin, however, is unmatched.

The Aston Martin is essentially the 9th fastest car on the grid this season. That car was dragged into Q3 by Vettel while his teammate was eliminated in Q2. Then in the Imola GP, it was Vettel once again making the difference in the wet weather and placing the car in a situation that enabled a points finish for the unfancied team. The Silverstone-based outfit was at the bottom of the constructors' standings before arriving at Imola. It now has to thank the German for not being the last anymore.

Surprise of the weekend

Alfa Romeo's form

Valtteri Bottas was on the rails all weekend. The Finn was ridiculously fast in the dry and the wet, and during both the sprint and the race, we saw him display midfield leading pace. He could have achieved a lot more if not for the slow pitstop in the race, but it was a surprise to see Alfa Romeo display that kind of form.

Disappointment of the weekend

Mercedes

Mercedes has maintained that the team is still trying to understand the car at the moment. Although George Russell salvaged the weekend to an extent for the team, if the Imola GP did not set the alarms back at Brackley, then nothing will.

The thing is, this was the fourth race of the season. You don't use races to learn your car, you use races to try and compete! The porpoising in that car is painful to watch at the moment and unless the planned major upgrade in Spain works, the team is looking at a season of embarrassment on all fronts.

The 'Feel-Good' moment

Lando Norris' podium

Lando Norris is one of the most likable drivers in the sport. What makes him even more likable is his ability to drive the wheels off an F1 car. That's exactly what he has been doing all season and that's exactly what he did at Imola as well. Considering the pace deficit McLaren faces to the front-running teams, a podium was out of the question. With Charles Leclerc spinning and handing Norris that podium, it was one of the more feel-good moments of the season.

The biggest shock

Lewis Hamilton's weekend

It was unexplainable to see what Lewis Hamilton was doing at Imola this weekend. The Mercedes might not be the best car on the grid, but that doesn't explain the lackluster display from the seven-time world champion. In the first four races this season, Hamilton has left points on the table every time he has raced and if you are looking to fight for the title you cannot do that. Whether the first four races place the Briton amongst the top drivers of the season is hard to accept.

The Imola GP - Sympathy Corner

Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso hasn't been able to catch a break this season. He's driving as well as he can and at a very high level but he finds himself getting compromised by bad luck in 3 out of the 4 races we've had this season. In Imola, the Spaniard was lucky to escape the reliability gremlins at Alpine that struck his teammate this time around.

He, however, couldn't escape the bad luck that has plagued him this season. This time it was a tap by Mick Schumacher that damaged his sidepod and forced him to retire from the race. In 2022, it does appear that any luck that the Spaniard could have is bad luck.