Conclusions from the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Max Verstappen led a Red Bull one-two finish in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix to cut Charles Leclerc’s lead in the 2022 Formula 1 World Championship after the Ferrari driver’s mistake.

Here are our conclusions from Imola…

What a difference a fortnight makes.

Verstappen didn’t even want to think about the World Championship following his second retirement in three races in Australia, admitting he was “already miles behind” runaway leader Leclerc.

Having taken his second win of 2022 at Imola to cut the deficit to Leclerc from 46 to 28, however, the Drivers’ standings already make for much better reading.

Verstappen was very much the driver we have come to expect at Imola, excelling in the damp conditions of Friday qualifying and race day either side of a well-executed victory in the sprint.

Let the celebrations begin! #ImolaGP #F1 @FerrariTrento pic.twitter.com/CvKOVP4eRi

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 24, 2022

But perhaps the greatest difference this year, especially compared to his battle with Lewis Hamilton in 2021, is that he can now regularly rely on his team-mate’s support.

After underdelivering by qualifying seventh on Friday, Sergio Perez recovered nicely to third in the sprint, and as Verstappen got on with the business of winning the grand prix it was left to him to eventually frustrate Leclerc into a mistake.

No more was that apparent than after the stops from inters to slicks when Leclerc appeared to have jumped Perez only for the Red Bull, braking on a damp patch of track, to boldly repass into the Villeneuve chicane.

With the RB18’s superior straight-line speed shielding him from attack on the pit straight, Perez, with his feather-light touch on the throttle, lived up to his reputation as the hardest driver to