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2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix highlights

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

IMOLA, ITALY - APRIL 18: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing looks on in the garage ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Emilia Romagna at Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari on April 18, 2021 in Imola, Italy. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Introduction

 

Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix certainly threw up plenty of drama, with Max Verstappen’s victory, a rare mistake from Lewis Hamilton, and a thrilling podium from Lando Norris. It also generated its fair share of facts and figures…

Verstappen failed to finish all 3 races in Italy last year and prior to today had never finished in the top-4 in this country at any track. Red Bull’s best previous result at Imola was Vitantonio Liuzzi’s 8th place in 2005.

For the 99th time in his F1 career, Hamilton started from pole as rain fell at Imola, but it was Verstappen who jumped from third to first with a masterful second-gear launch. Hamilton briefly led again when Verstappen pitted for mediums from intermediates on Lap 27, but the Briton emerged second thanks to his sluggish stop one lap later. On Lap 31, the seven-time champion locked up and beached his car at Tosa, only to rejoin P8.

A terrifying accident followed that as Bottas and Russell came together at Tamburello. Both were thankfully unhurt, but Bottas was apparently winded and Russell furious as another potential points finish slipped away from the Williams driver in a spectacular fashion. Neither faced action from the stewards after a post-race investigation, but both disagreed on who was to blame.

The red flag followed to allow marshals to clear the cars and debris, and the rolling restart saw Verstappen keep his lead, with Hamilton quickly making up ground from P8. A brilliant recovery followed, with the world champion up to fifth by Lap 43, fourth by Lap 50 and third – at the expense of Leclerc – by Lap 55.

The victory was to be Verstappen’s, however, and by a margin over 20 seconds at the flag as the action behind did nothing to rattle him. That left Hamilton second, Norris third thanks to a sensational drive from P7, and Leclerc fourth – his podium having slipped away to the superior McLaren of Norris, who had jumped the Ferrari after the red flag restart.

Carlos Sainz finished fifth even after two trips through the gravel, while Daniel Ricciardo took sixth for McLaren having started there.

Lance Stroll was once again rapid in the wet and made it to P7 from P10, ahead of Pierre Gasly whose choice to start on wets didn’t pay off, leaving him as low as 18th on Lap 16 when he bit the bullet and swapped to inters. However, Stroll was given a five-second penalty post-race and finished eighth; Gasly seventh.

Alfa Romeo’s Kimi Raikkonen started 16th but made it up to P11 in the wet, taking P9 when Bottas and Russell came together. The Finn was later penalised for an infringement during the Lap 35 rolling start that left Esteban Ocon ninth and Fernando Alonso scoring his first point since his comeback, in 10th.

2021 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna GP Race Results

Pos No     Driver Team Time  Points
1. 33 Max Verstappen Red Bull Racing 2:02:34.598 25
2. 44 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes-AMG Petronas +22.000s 18
3. 4 Lando Norris McLaren Racing +23.702s 16
4. 16 Charles Leclerc Scuderia Ferrari +25.579s 12
5. 55 Carlos Sainz Scuderia Ferrari +27.036s 10
6. 3 Daniel Ricciardo McLaren Racing +51.220s 8
7. 10 Pierre Gasly Scuderia AlphaTauri +52.818s 6
8. 18 Lance Stroll Aston Martin F1 Team +56.909s 4
9. 31 Esteban Ocon Alpine F1 Team +65.704s 2
10. 14 Fernando Alonso Alpine F1 Team +66.561s 1
11. 11 Sergio Perez Red Bull Racing +67.151s 0
12. 22 Yuki Tsunoda Scuderia AlphaTauri +73.184s 0
13. 7 Kimi Räikkönen Alfa Romeo Orlen +94.773s
14. 99 Antonio Giovinazzi Alfa Romeo Orlen +1 lap 0
15. 5 Sebastian Vettel Aston Martin F1 Team DNF 0
16. 47 Mick Schumacher Uralkali Haas F1 Team +2 laps 0
17. 9 Nikita Mazepin Uralkali Haas F1 Team +2 laps 0
18. 77 Valtteri Bottas Mercedes-AMG Petronas DNF 0
19. 63 George Russell Williams Racing DNF 0
20. 6 Nicholas Latifi Williams Racing DNF 0

Note – Hamilton scored an additional point for setting the fastest lap of the race. Tsunoda received a 5-second time penalty for exceeding track limits. Stroll received a 5-second time penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. Raikkonen received a 30-second time penalty for a rolling start infringement.

Here are the team-by-team highlights:

Red Bull Racing

 

Max Verstappen banked his first victory of the 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship season at Imola with a calculated, cool drive as Red Bull Racing Honda delivered on their impressive off-season.

The Dutchman managed to hold his nerve in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday that was red-flagged halfway through after a high-speed crash involving Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas and Briton George Russell.

Max Verstappen

I am of course very happy with this win for everyone in the Team and Honda. I think the key was of course the start as we had a great launch. I surprised myself as it was always hard to get off the line in the wet last year but we worked hard to try and improve that and it worked. The conditions were challenging out there, especially in the beginning and it was very hard to stay on track but we stayed out of trouble. I wouldn’t call it a dominant performance as Lewis was following me quite well and for him to come back to second after his incident means they have a lot of pace in that car.

We won because we made the right calls with tyres at the right time and the Team managed everything well in these conditions. With the tyres degrading, choosing the right moment to go onto slicks wasn’t easy but we got it right. I had a little moment at the re-start trying to warm up the tyres with some throttle but luckily we didn’t spin. We still have to work hard to improve because it’s very close, but for now, I’m very happy with the result. I’m looking forward to Portimão because it’s an amazing track and then we go to a track we all know well in Barcelona. We’ll see what we can do but so far, it’s been a good start to the year.”

Sergio Perez

The conditions out there were really difficult today and I made quite a few mistakes that were very costly. I struggled to retain any temperature in the tyres, so I lost it under the safety car and I got a 10-second penalty. It is of course important that I get used to the car and that I learn these lessons, but I messed up, I’m very disappointed in myself and really sorry to the Team. I think at the re-start the podium was ours and the pace of the car was good today, we should have finished one and two on the podium. Let’s focus on the next race now, we will work really hard as a team and come back stronger.”

Christian Horner

It is fantastic for us to get the victory here today, particularly after losing such a close race in Bahrain. Max drove impeccably all afternoon with no mistakes and the Team made some perfectly timed pit stop calls, making this a thoroughly deserved victory and an important one for us. Max was pumped up for the race, with a great start giving him momentum down into Turn 1 where we saw two tough drivers pushing to the limit for track position which is what everyone wants to see. Lewis was still very quick today which could be seen particularly towards the end of the race when they seemed to have very low tyre degradation. I think they maybe had a quicker car than us today but it’s great to get that first victory of the season under our belts.

It was a real shame for Sergio after such a brilliant day yesterday and nothing went his way which is frustrating for him, but he’s becoming more and more comfortable with the car and you can guarantee that he will come back strong. Now we need to build on this momentum for the remainder of the season and we are going to have to go some way to keep Mercedes under pressure.”

Red Bull Racing best pictures:

2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team

 

Lewis Hamilton clinched second place in changeable conditions in Imola despite hitting the barrier on lap 31 and falling to the ninth position before the race was restarted on lap 34 following a red flag. Valtteri Bottas suffered a DNF after an incident with Williams’ George Russell on lap 33.

Lewis set the fastest lap of the race to claim the bonus point on offer.  he (44 points) leads the Drivers’ Championship by 1 point from Max Verstappen (43 points) with Valtteri (16 points) in P5. The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team (60 points) leads Red Bull (53 points) by 7 points in the Constructors’ Championship.

Lewis Hamilton

Considering I was facing the barrier at one stage, then a lap down, yeah, it was a difficult day in that regard. I had some really good pace in the rain and was catching but just a little bit impatient, maybe, with the backmarkers. I’m only human so these mistakes happen. I’m grateful that I was back in the race and could hunt down and get back to second. The car had a rough time today. I started first, should have been first at the finish but these things are sent to test us and we’ve got a great battle on our hands. Game on.

Valtteri Bottas

I’m okay physically. It was a half-decent shunt but obviously could have been a lot worse at that speed. George got close and decided to go for a move. Obviously, the track is quite narrow, there is only one dry line and he went for the outside, there was space all the time for two cars but he obviously lost the car and hit me. I haven’t spoken to him so far: I couldn’t hear a thing that he was on about and obviously we will have a different perspective on it. It was a tough race until then, from where I started it wasn’t easy to make ground. But I need to take whatever positives I can from this weekend and move on.

Toto Wolff

Leading the Championship with the fastest lap is one thing but what actually gives it a silver lining or positive connotation today is that we seem to have a really quick race car.

Unfortunately, the crash between George and Valtteri was unnecessary. Valtteri had a difficult first 30 laps and shouldn’t have been there but George should have never launched into this maneuver considering that the track was drying up. It meant taking risks and the other car is a Mercedes in front of him and in any drivers’ development as a young driver you must never lose this global perspective. Lots to learn for him I guess.

Apart from that, we had all highs and lows from the incident in the first corner which cost us two-tenths in aero performance on Lewis’ car. Then we had Lewis hitting the barrier on lap 31. The recovery drive from Lewis after the race restarted was really brilliant, ten out of ten.

Overall, today was very difficult to judge because of the circumstances but we had a very good car today in the wet and in the drying up. We are slowly starting to understand it but according to the data, we are still not having a car and power unit that can match the Red Bull Honda.

Andrew Shovlin

On lap 31 it was difficult to imagine how things could get any worse. We had Lewis stuck in the gravel with a broken wing and Valtteri out with a massive amount of damage. So, leaving here still in the lead of both championships is quite a relief and I suppose we should be grateful for that.

For Lewis, it was very much a race of two halves. The early part was defined by the damage to the front wing after the contact with Max – that improved slightly when the footplate came away completely but we still had a chunk of load and balance missing. As such, we were a bit surprised when Lewis was able to close in on Max towards the end of the intermediate stint. The transition to dry was okay, the warm-up was a challenge and I think we look worse than our competitors in this regard but as we didn’t have time to change the wing it was always going to be a struggle to put Max under pressure. That became a bit of a moot point when Lewis slid off passing some traffic and lost a load of time and positions. The suspended race allowed us the chance to repair the car and in the final stint, we saw what it was capable of. It was a great recovery by Lewis and an impressive fastest lap.

Valtteri’s day was even more difficult. He was finding the warm-up more of a challenge than Lewis, struggling mainly with rear grip. That was the case on both inter and slick tyres but on the transition to dry it was particularly bad. He got swamped by a few cars and ultimately, that was what started the events that triggered the crash with George and the end of this race. Overall, a frustrating weekend and one where we have plenty of areas that we need to look to for improvement.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas best pictures:

McLaren Racing

 

Hear from McLaren Formula 1 drivers Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo and Team Principal Andreas Seidl after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Lando Norris

Obviously very happy to get a podium. A very well-executed race from the team and from myself. I think I drove very well – I made a lot of good decisions – but it wasn’t easy. The beginning of the race was pretty tough. A bit of contact here and there, not a perfect start but I kept my head cool. I kept focused throughout because sometimes you know you’ve got to expect the red flags and the Safety Cars and think that more opportunities can come towards you later in the race. So, I kept that in mind and solidly came back through.

There were a couple of people crashing and making mistakes ahead of me, which is what we’re here to take advantage of, and then we made a good decision at the end to go onto the Soft tyres and get ahead of Leclerc. We almost held on to P2 but not quite. It was a tough race, but very rewarding for myself and more importantly for the team, so a big thanks to them for bringing new parts, and working so hard on the car back at the factory to make it better every weekend.

Daniel Ricciardo

One of those races where you’ve got rain on the laps to grid and you’re not really sure how it’s going to go. I managed to get a position at the start and was then running in fifth for a bit. Just as the track started to dry I grained the front right, so I couldn’t really keep a good pace.

For the restart, we put on the Soft tyre to make the most of a potential standing start. I tried to keep on top of the Soft until the end of this long stint but, just couldn’t really manage it. I think both front and rear tyres I struggled with.

So, certainly, not an awesome race, but I think to come home sixth is good for the Constructors’ points with Lando in third. Congrats to Lando, he had a great race and it’s awesome to see the car has the pace. My race pace was nothing too special. I’ve just got to keep working on it and improve.

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal

An exciting race today and a great show for the fans. A podium for Lando is a great reward for the whole team, and the hard work that’s gone in here at the track and back at the factory this weekend – but also for the effort over the winter to get us to this point from the team in Woking and our colleagues at Mercedes.

Great call today to restart on the Soft tyre after the red flag. That gave us an edge and allowed Lando to take the place of Charles [Leclerc]. Lando was flying all weekend and managed a lot of tricky situations today in difficult conditions. He and his team managed brilliantly to get this well-deserved podium. Daniel did a great job too. He’s not yet fully confident in the car – which is understandable – but he put in a clean race, made good decisions and scored a lot of points that will be valuable both for himself and for the team.

After two strong weekends to start the season, we now have our sights set on keeping the momentum going in Portimão.

McLaren Racing best pictures:

Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One Team

 

Lance Stroll continued his fine start to the 2021 Formula One season with an eighth-place finish in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, while Sebastian Vettel was unfortunate to suffer a late retirement.

Lance Stroll

That was a lot of fun with some exciting racing. We have scored some important points and I really enjoyed myself today. The weather made things a little bit interesting and we made the most of it. All credit to the crew on the grid for getting my car repaired after the brake problem, too. We also overcame a gear shift issue, which cost us lap time, but we managed to hang on until the end.

It was just a very busy afternoon with so much happening, so I am really pleased to have scored four points. The car was nicely balanced this weekend, but we still have some work to do to catch the teams ahead of us. That is where our focus is now as we get ready for Portugal.

Sebastian Vettel

Things did not go our way today. Even before the race, we had issues going to the grid and I had to start from the pit lane. That was not too painful because it was a wet start to the race, but the time penalty changed everything, especially because it came 20 minutes into the race. The track conditions were quite difficult in the beginning and it was hard to overtake, but a dry line soon appeared.

We gambled on fitting the dry tyres early and, as the track dried more, there was a phase of the race where we were actually quite strong. Then there was the red flag, which was the right decision, and for the restart, we chose to fit the soft tyres and gambled on a standing start happening, but they decided on a rolling start. Those soft tyres obviously had higher degradation compared to the medium, which made things more difficult at the end.

Otmar Szafnauer

After an Imola weekend that was challenging from a number of perspectives, Lance’s hugely impressive drive to eighth place, under pressure all the way through, lifted the spirits of everyone in the team. He had gear shift issues throughout but managed them very capably.

Sebastian had a troubled run that ended in a DNF just one lap from the end, which was disappointing for him and the team, but he got a lot of very useful mileage in the car, which is a positive because he is still playing catch-up to some extent as a result of his lack of running in pre-season testing.

Both our cars suffered brake overheating problems on the way to the grid, and we are currently investigating the root cause in order to implement a permanent solution.

Aston Martin Cognizant F1 Team best pictures:

Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow

 

Scuderia Ferrari Mission Winnow picked up 22 points, courtesy of a fourth-place for Charles Leclerc and a fifth for Carlos Sainz in the Gran Premio del Made in Italy e dell’Emilia-Romagna. While the race confirmed that the team is making progress, there’s a hint of disappointment as undoubtedly, a podium finish was within Charles’ grasp.

Charles Leclerc

It was an interesting race, although a bit frustrating, because I was in a really good place before the red flag which wiped out the advantage we had built up in the first part of the race. Unfortunately, I struggled after the restart, since I was vulnerable in the straights and that made it difficult to fight or defend from others. In fact, we had taken a bit of a gamble with some more downforce, which helped us in the rain, but made it more difficult for us when it was dry in the second part of the race.

Overall, I’m very happy with the performance we had today. There is definitely a lot of motivation. We are fighting for more interesting positions now and this is positive. We have been working well and if we keep it up, I’m sure that we will be fighting for the top places soon.

Carlos Sainz

That was a very solid race today. The conditions at the start were very tricky, with very poor visibility, but I went for it and managed to make up quite a lot of positions after the start. This was the second race and my first time in the wet with the car, which was an unknown situation for me, but taking risks and finding the limit paid off, despite losing race time with a couple of mistakes here and there.

My pace was very strong in the wet and also very solid in the dry, so I’m happy with that. I was quite comfortable all along, and starting P11 with a P5 finish is encouraging. I just need to keep my head down and continue working in this direction, because I think it’s the correct one. Collecting solid points today was definitely good for the team and I am very pleased with the double points finish.

Mattia Binotto, Team Principal

On a completely different track and in very different conditions to the first race of the season, this result confirms that the work we are doing is going in the right direction. The fact we are unhappy about not getting at least one driver onto the podium is further proof of that. We can definitely say the outcome of these first two races is a positive one.

Not since the second half of 2019, specifically the races in Japan and Mexico that year, have we had both drivers in the points in two consecutive races. We must continue like this and show, race by race, that we know how to improve. Now I can’t wait to go to Portimão for the next Grand Prix!

Scuderia Ferrari best pictures:

Alpine F1 Team

 

Alpine F1 Team scored its first championship points of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World
Championship after a challenging race, which led to Esteban Ocon finishing ninth and
Fernando Alonso tenth in an incident-filled Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Esteban Ocon

It was a challenging race today in hard conditions. There were lots of opportunities out there, we
managed to score a point, a decent result and a good reward for the team’s hard work. There was
potentially more on the table. It was a long, physical race and flat out right until the end after the
restart. I had some fun fights out there, especially with Fernando. Now, we look forward to the next
race weekend.

Fernando Alonso

It was tricky today as we had several different conditions, starting the race in the wet and finishing
in the dry. I took a lot of learnings after driving in these conditions again. In Formula 1, you don’t get
any preparation, and with one and a half days of testing, it’s not easy. Overall, I would say it was like
four-race experiences all in one. I think the car is better this weekend, which is positive but it’s still
very tight between a number of cars. We’ll go again to Portugal.

Marcin Budkowski, Executive Director

We scored our first point of the season today and we had to work hard for it. Both cars had poor
starts in wet conditions and lost several positions on the first lap, which is something we need to
understand. In the dry, our pace was pretty decent with both drivers together on the track and
coming back towards the points positions. Esteban got stuck behind Räikkönen for the final part of
the race and couldn’t make the move, underlining how difficult it is to overtake here. We leave Imola
with bittersweet feelings; pleased to have our first point of the season, but it was a race that didn’t
go as it could have for us. We move onto the next race hungry for more.

Alpine F1 Team best pictures:

Alfa Romeo Racing ORLEN

 

It would have been such a good story. If ever there would have been a case of picking up where the team had left off, the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix would have been it. Sauber’s final points of the 2020 season had been in Imola, and for a long time the team thought that the first points of 2021 would come in the same venue (thankfully a lot earlier in the season than last year).

Kimi Räikkönen

It was a good recovery after yesterday and to take points from P16 on the grid would have been a great story. The conditions were very tricky, the track was slippery and it never fully dried up – it was so easy to make a mistake. We made a good start but couldn’t see anything in the spray; we did ok on the inters, they came back at the end of the stint but at that point, the track was dry enough for slicks.

We struggled a bit more after the red flag, but we were able to use the track layout to our advantage and keep everyone else behind to finish in P9. Unfortunately, we then got this penalty that means we don’t get anything to show for it, but at least we can look positively at our performance. We have been fighting for the points two races in a row, hopefully, we can keep improving even more.

Antonio Giovinazzi 

We were having a fantastic race until our issue and it was a matter of finally being able to show our true race potential. The conditions at the beginning of the race were very difficult, they reminded me of Hockenheim 2019 with very poor visibility. Kimi and I were both running in the points and to finish with both cars in the top ten were definitely on the cards, but unfortunately, we had a technical issue with one of the brakes that required a pit stop.

I focus on the positives: we have a good car and we can fight for a top ten finish in most races. Hopefully, luck will be more on our side in the future and we can get the rewards we deserve.”

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal

Once again we demonstrated we have a car that can fight for points on a Sunday, even though we are left to rue not bringing home what would have been a very positive result. The conditions weren’t easy and we did a good job as a team to be in the fight. Kimi needed all his experience to keep his rivals behind at the end of the race, while it was obviously very disappointing that a technical problem got Antonio out of a very good position when we were looking at having two cars in the top ten. This issue, and the penalty that took away our two points, aside, today’s result gives us confidence for the next races, although it was another reminder of how small the margins are in the midfield and how we have to keep improving to keep ahead of the nearest rivals.

Alfa Romeo ORLEN F1 Team best pictures:

Scuderia AlphaTauri

 

Frenchman Pierre Gasly kept out of trouble to finish in the points with eighth place, while Japanese rookie Yuki Tsunoda came home just behind Mexican Pérez in 13th place for Scuderia AlphaTauri Honda.

Pierre Gasly

For sure, it’s been a rollercoaster of a day – we started from P5 but we made a different call with tyres at the start of the race and quickly ended up at the back. Obviously, I was very disappointed, but from there we kept fighting and after the red flag, we managed to make our way forward again to cross the finish line in the eighth position. Following the race, I’ve moved up into P7 and I’m pretty pleased with that as a finishing position – we managed to recover some crucial points for the team, which is really positive. We showed the potential of the car on Saturday and next time out we just need to put it all together across the whole weekend.

Yuki Tsunoda

I think it was a fantastic race for the viewers at home but I’m very disappointed with myself and I just want to say sorry to the team. It’s a real shame that I spun after the red flag, up until that point I think the race was going pretty well and the pace was really good. This was the first time I’ve been in a Formula 1 car in the wet and I learnt you have to be so careful, especially with acceleration.

Starting on the intermediate tyre during the rainy conditions made it even more difficult but it was a great opportunity for me to understand more how the compounds work in different conditions. I think points could have been on the table for me here today but it’s all a learning curve and I’ll take this experience with me to the next race.

Jody Egginton (Technical Director)

Today’s race was certainly eventful and – although we have scored a few points with Pierre – we have to be honest and say we have made our lives more difficult than they needed to be and have not scored the points that the package was capable of this weekend. Obviously, the entire team is disappointed but together we will review today’s race, in an open and pragmatic way, and address various topics that will allow us to deliver a stronger performance at the next Grand Prix.

Scuderia AlphaTauri Team best pictures:

Uralkali Haas F1 Team

 

Uralkali Haas F1 Team completed the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix with Mick Schumacher 16th and Nikita Mazepin 17th, held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Italy, on Sunday.

Nikita Mazepin

So much happened in this race, from starting on the wets having not really expected it as the sunshine wasn’t long before the start, then a red flag and loads of things basically happening. We just weren’t really fast enough today to fight with others. It was a good learning experience in the bag though and to see the checkered flag was good.

I don’t think Nicolas (Latifi) knew I was there when he came back across the track. I gave him all the room I had but I just don’t think he was aware that I was there. I think it was just unfortunate for him. I don’t think anyone had an easy one today, but I guess it was a very exciting race for the fans.

Mick Schumacher

“It was my first time in a Formula 1 car in the wet conditions – it definitely wasn’t easy. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what happened at the moment I spun, it went quite quickly. I don’t know if I was too aggressive or if it was a puddle or whatever. It’s something we’ll analyze but I’m quite disappointed in myself. We’d had a good position up until then. Overall, I think it was a positive race, we finished 16th and we were good in terms of pace. We saw the checkered flag and that was the goal.”

Guenther Steiner

We got two cars home in what was quite an eventful race with the changing weather conditions. There were a few things thrown our way again but ultimately, we recovered and finished the race with both Nikita (Mazepin) and Mick (Schumacher) at the checkered – which is good. That’s what I always want, that we do the laps, and that the guys learn. I want them to keep improving and especially for Nikita, it was good today that he finished the race after missing out in Bahrain. He now has a complete race under his belt. Mick did well to recover from the earlier part of his race.

As much as it’s not the result that makes you happy, what makes you happy is that we made progress. That was our plan, and if we can continue to work like this – with fewer mistakes and more performance, that’s what we’re here for this year.”

Uralkali Haas F1 Team best pictures:

Williams Racing

 

It was a difficult day for the team with both George Russell and Nicholas Latifi failing to finish the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

George Russell

I think it was a very unfortunate incident and one that could have been avoided. Valtteri was defending hard, and he is in his right to do so. The track was going left, and he was going straight. In these conditions with one dry line, it only had one outcome. It is frustrating but that is Formula One.

Nicholas Latifi

In the end, it was not the result we wanted, so that is frustrating from my side. It was my mistake in tricky conditions, even the laps to the grid were difficult and the spray was the worst I have ever seen it. I had the first spin-off from a bit of rear locking and then I re-joined the track. I tried to stay on the left-hand side but naturally, the driver line takes you back to the right, so I knew I couldn’t just cut back across. I didn’t see Mazepin when I joined the track but looking at the replay, I have seen we made contact and that sent me into the wall. It was an unfortunate end to the weekend as it was my mistake, so I’m really sorry to the team for that.

Dave Robson, Head of Vehicle Performance

It’s extremely disappointing to be leaving Imola with neither car having finished the race. We have had a decent weekend throughout, and in tricky conditions today we made good and timely decisions. Although Nicholas found it a little difficult at the start on the Intermediate tyres, he was unfortunate to touch the Haas and crash out. George was good on the intermediate tyres and did a great job behind the safety car to keep the car in a good state.

As we moved to slick tyres we were in a strong position and although there was still a long way to go, George was comfortable and managing his car and tyres well. We had the pace and speed to overtake Bottas, and had we been able to make the move cleanly we looked set for a strong finish.

Williams F1 Team best pictures:

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