Max Verstappen loses the lead to Charles Leclerc at the start but passes the world championship leader in the closing stages to seal victory; Watch the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix live on Sky Sports F1 from 12:30pm on Sunday
By Sam Johnston in Imola
Last Updated: 23/04/22 4:22pm
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Max Verstappen pulls off an amazing overtake on Charles Leclerc to earn himself the win in the Sprint Race at the Emilia Romagna GP.
Max Verstappen produced a stunning late pass on Charles Leclerc to take victory in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Sprint and ensure a first-place start for Sunday’s race.
Verstappen, who had started ahead of Leclerc after taking pole in a wet qualifying session on Friday, lost his lead at the start as a poor getaway enabled the Ferrari to beat him to the first corner.
To the delight of the partisan Italian crowd, Leclerc looked to be cruising to victory, but his tyres started to wear in the closing stages of the 21-lap race and Verstappen took advantage to strike at the start of the penultimate lap.
The other Red Bull of Sergio Perez finished third after a solid drive to rise from seventh, while Leclerc’s team-mate Carlos Sainz produced a strong recovery to finish fourth having started 10th after crashing out of qualifying.
It was a disappointing race for Mercedes, as George Russell was unable to improve on the 11th place he started the race in, while Lewis Hamilton dropped a position to finish 14th.
Emilia Romagna GP: Sprint Result – Top 10
1) Max Verstappen, Red Bull
2) Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
3) Sergio Perez, Red Bull
4) Carlos Sainz, Ferrari
5) Lando Norris, McLaren
6) Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren
7) Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo
8) Kevin Magnussen, Haas
9) Fernando Alonso, Alpine
10) Mick Schumacher, Haas
More to follow…
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