After a poor start from P1, Max Verstappen lost the lead of the race on lap one to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. The Ferrari pulled out a 1.5s gap and ran in the lead for the majority of the 21-lap sprint.
Patience was the key for Verstappen who waited and managed the gap as well as his tires and this paid dividends as Leclerc’s Ferrari started to suffer with degradation on his soft compounds.
This allowed Max to get his Red Bull within DRS range and make the pass for the lead and win. Max will start Sunday’s race from pole followed by Leclerc and Sergio Perez.
Sprint Race Results:
| POS | DRIVER | TIME/RETIRED | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30:39.567 | 0 | |
| 2 | +2.975s | 0 | |
| 3 | +4.721s | 0 | |
| 4 | +17.578s | 0 | |
| 5 | +24.561s | 0 | |
| 6 | +27.740s | 0 | |
| 7 | +28.133s | 0 | |
| 8 | +30.712s | 0 | |
| 9 | +32.278s | 0 | |
| 10 | +33.773s | 0 | |
| 11 | +36.284s | 0 | |
| 12 | +38.298s | 0 | |
| 13 | +40.177s | 0 | |
| 14 | +41.459s | 0 | |
| 15 | +42.910s | 0 | |
| 16 | +43.517s | 0 | |
| 17 | +43.794s | 0 | |
| 18 | +48.871s | 0 | |
| 19 | +52.017s | 0 | |
| NC | DNF | 0 |
Are we allowed to call a Sprint a Race in 2022, or are you dancing with the forbidden fruit of risque nomenclature? ~X8