Max hoping for ‘straightforward’ weekend at Imola

Max Verstappen says he hopes to have a “straightforward weekend” at Imola after an eventful start to his 2022 season.

In the opening three races of his title defence, the Dutchman has retired twice and won once. He is currently the only driver on the grid who has shown he is capable of challenging Charles Leclerc for pace, but any more DNFs and the Ferrari could soon disappear over the horizon.

Ferrari confirm Sainz for a further two years

Ferrari set to improve even further

Mercedes getting to grips with issues

Another Ferrari v Red Bull battle in Imola

Red Bull solve Verstappen issue

F1 are risking the calendar becoming too big

Can McLaren and Haas challenge at Imola?

Sprint Qualifying returns at Imola

AlphaTauri shocked by reliability issues

While Verstappen himself has said he is not even thinking about the title following his season’s start, Helmut Marko has predicted the calmness of the driver may soon evaporate if Red Bull cannot solve their reliability issues.

Looking ahead to the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Verstappen said he was hoping for a “straightforward weekend”.

“The team trackside and back at the factory in Milton Keynes are working incredibly hard. Hopefully we’ll have a straightforward weekend and that we score some good points as a team,” the reigning World Champion said.

“For now, we will take it race by race and we’ll see where we end up.”

7⃣ days until Imola

I’ll be right here waiting, happy Easter all pic.twitter.com/VrOHyLHI6b

— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) April 15, 2022

The 24-year-old will have fond memories of the Imola circuit having won there last season – his first victory in what turned out to be a Championship-winning campaign.

“I’m looking forward to racing again this weekend at