The reigning F1 world champion reeled in Charles Leclerc after the Ferrari driver grabbed the lead at the start of the sprint race, with Verstappen regaining the lead on the penultimate lap.
It meant Verstappen converted pole position from Friday’s qualifying into the sprint race win and will start Sunday’s grand prix from the front ahead of Leclerc.
Sergio Perez climbed from seventh to third for Red Bull, with Carlos Sainz pulling off a similarly solid recovery from 10th to fourth for Ferrari, as McLaren settled for best of the rest with Lando Norris fifth and Daniel Ricciardo sixth respectively.
Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas claimed seventh place, but it was a nightmare maiden F1 sprint for rookie team-mate Zhou Guanyu who crashed on the first lap after clashing with Pierre Gasly. The Chinese driver has been given a pitlane start penalty for Sunday’s grand prix.
Kevin Magnussen conceded he made the wrong tyre call on his own maiden F1 sprint, opting for mediums when his rivals all went for softs, which saw the Haas driver drop to eighth place to round out the points places for the sprint race.
Mercedes continued to struggle with its W13 as George Russell could only manage 11th place, where he started the sprint, while team-mate Lewis Hamilton lost a position to AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda and will start the grand prix in 14th pace.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB18, passes Charles Leclerc, Ferrari F1-75, for the lead
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
When is the F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix?
- Date: Sunday 24th April 2022
- Start time: 2:00pm BST, 3:00pm local time
The fourth round of the 2022 F1 season, the Emilia Romagna GP at Imola, gets underway at 3:00pm local time (2:00pm BST) on Sunday 24th April.
How can I watch Formula 1?
In the United Kingdom Formula 1 is only broadcast live on Sky Sports, with highlights shown on Channel 4 several hours after the race has finished. Live streaming through NOW is also available in the UK.
Sky Sports F1, which broadcasts the F1 races, can be added as part of the Sky Sports channels which costs £20 a month for new customers. Sky Sports can also be accessed through NOW with a one-off day payment of £11.98p or a month membership of £33.99p per month.
Fans wanting to watch the race for free will have to wait until the evening of Saturday (qualifying) or Sunday (race) to see the highlights on Channel 4.
How can I watch the F1 Emilia Romagna GP?
In the United Kingdom, Sky Sports will be live broadcasting the Emilia Romagna GP, with the race shown live on Sky Sports F1. Pre-race coverage will be starting on Sky Sports F1 at 12:30pm BST ahead of the race start at 2:00pm BST.
- Channel: Sky Sports F1
- Start time: 2:00pm BST, Sunday 24th April
Autosport will be running a live text coverage of the Emilia Romagna GP here.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36, Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-22, Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
When can I watch the F1 Emilia Romagna GP highlights?
In the United Kingdom Channel 4 is broadcasting highlights of the Emilia Romagna GP at 6:30pm BST on Sunday. The full programme will run for two hours and 30 minutes, covering the pre-race, the race highlights and the initial post-race reaction to wrap up the major talking points of the race weekend.
For the entire 2022 F1 season, Channel 4 will broadcast highlights of every qualifying and race of each event. The highlights will also be available on Channel 4’s on demand catch up services.
- Channel: Channel 4
- Start time: 6:30pm BST, Sunday 24th April
Will the F1 Emilia Romagna GP be on the radio?
Live radio coverage of every practice, qualifying and race for the 2022 F1 season will be available on the BBC Radio 5 Live, 5 Live Sports Extra stations, the BBC Sounds app and the via the BBC Sport website.
Live coverage of the Emilia Romagna GP will start at 1:55pm BST on BBC Radio 5 Live Sports Extra and on the BBC Sounds app.
Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren MCL36, Fernando Alonso, Alpine A522, Carlos Sainz Jr., Ferrari F1-75
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Weather forecast for the F1 Emilia Romagna GP
Current weather forecasts predict cool and cloudy conditions at Imola, with a good chance of rain during the race. The temperature is expected to be 15 degrees Celsius for the start of the race, 12 degrees colder than the Australian GP last time out.
How many laps is the F1 Emilia Romagna GP?
The race is scheduled to complete 63 laps at Imola, covering a total race distance of 309.049km.
