Max Verstappen starts on pole for today’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after claiming victory in the first Formula One sprint race of the 2022 season.
Charles Leclerc defends his substantial early championship lead at Ferrari’s home circuit of Imola.
This year, the 100km sprint race awarded eight points to its victor all the way down to a single point for eighth place, rather than the top three sharing a paltry six points among them as was the case last year.
The grid for the sprint was decided with a chaotic qualifying on Friday evening, which saw Verstappen claim first place after Leclerc had posted himself top of a Ferrari one-two in the lunchtime practice session.
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George Russell, quickest in FP2, and Mercedes are, somewhat surprisingly, the de facto title rivals for Leclerc and Ferrari after a trio of strong finishes to start what is still looking like a tough year for the reigning Constructors’ champions after both Russell and Lewis Hamilton finished well back in the sprint.
Red Bull and Verstappen can hope to reclaim some serious ground in the standings after Sergio Perez put his car third on the grid following the sprint, with Carlos Sainz fourth.
With a week off going into the first European race of the year, the fruits of the grid’s development labour may soon begin to show themselves but Ferrari are the team to beat for Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton and Co at the Scuderia’s home track.
Here is everything you need to know ahead of the race...
When is the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
The Emilia Romagna Grand Prix takes place on Sunday, April 24, 2022.
What time is the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
The race is scheduled to begin at 2pm BST.
How can I watch the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
TV channel: The race will be shown live on Sky Sports F1, with coverage beginning at 12.30pm before lights out at 2pm.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can also tune in via the Sky Go app.
Highlights: Channel 4 will be airing full free-to-air race highlights at 6.30pm.
Live blog: You can keep up to date with the race as it happens via Standard Sport’s live blog, with Marc Mayo in Italy to provide expert analysis.
Who is on pole for the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
Pole position was officially awarded to Verstappen after he was top of Friday qualifying, although the grid for the race is to be decided by the first sprint race of the season on Saturday night.
Once again, Verstappen secured first place with Leclerc joining him on the front row.
