via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 11, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after qualifying in pole position alongside McLaren’s Lando Norris, who qualified in third position Pool via REUTERS/Kamran Jebreili
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 11, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen after qualifying in pole position alongside McLaren’s Lando Norris, who qualified in third position Pool via REUTERS/Kamran Jebreili
What an anti-climactic qualifying session that was! It was heating up to be a dramatic finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix qualifying before a final red flag ended the session prematurely. The qualifying was filled with red flags and it was McLaren driver Lando Norris who brought out the final red flag to close out the session.
He crashed out while warming up his tires to go for a final run in the Q3 session and spun at the Aqua Minarelli corner. Pole-sitter and world champion Max Verstappen did not miss the opportunity to make fun of Norris.
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Verstappen took the first pole position of the season after he put a decent lap in the first runs of Q3. But after doing his post-qualifying interview, he did not miss a chance to tease Lando about his crash.
Max to Lando: "You decided to kiss the wall?"
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) April 22, 2022
“You decided to kiss the wall?” said Verstappen while poking fun at Norris. The McLaren driver smiled at Max’s comments and did not give a reply.
via Reuters
Formula One F1 – Emilia Romagna Grand Prix – Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Italy – April 22, 2022, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen celebrates qualifying in pole position for the sprint race with second-placed Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and third-placed McLaren’s Lando Norris REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
But despite the crash, Norris managed to finish the qualifying in P3. He will start right behind Max in the Sprint race tomorrow and will look to get as many points as possible.
Can Max Verstappen win the first Sprint race of the season?
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The Red Bull driver will start at the front of the grid in the first Sprint race of the season. But he will have championship leader and Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc alongside him.
The Ferrari driver would look to pounce on the world champion as soon as possible and get maximum points out of the session. Verstappen needs to hold on to the lead and win the race to get his 2022 title campaign back on track.
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The world champion has retired from 2 out of 3 races of the season, winning the one he finished. He desperately needs his car to hold on so that he can win another race in the 2022 season. Max knows he cannot afford any more setbacks in the initial stages of the championship against the consistent Ferrari.
It would be fascinating to see how both drivers approach the Sprint race tomorrow ahead of the main race on Sunday.
