With the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix almost upon us, let’s relive the last year’s race. In 2021 Imola was the second race of the season, and it was eventful! Max Verstappen won an action-packed Grand Prix, which was red-flagged at the halfway point due to a high-speed accident involving Valtteri Bottas and George Russell, all of whom walked away safely. Lewis Hamilton finished second ahead of Lando Norris, who was named Driver of the Day for his incredible run from eighth to third. The highlights of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix are detailed here.
Verstappen and Hamilton side by side
After a thrilling Bahrain Grand Prix, fans had high hopes for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix 2021, which did not disappoint. Hamilton started the race from pole for the 99th time in a rain-affected Grand Prix. But it was Max Verstappen who claimed the lead at the end of the first corner from third after a superb second-gear launch. While Verstappen had a pretty clean race, Hamilton had a devastating incident at Tosa when his engine locked up. He drove into the gravel and rejoined in eighth place. However, a terrifying accident between Bottas and Russel brought out the red flag, which helped the seven-time Driver’s Champion.
Hamilton was in eighth place, and a lap down before the race was red-flagged. The red flag allowed lapped cars to unlap themselves. Hamilton immediately gained ground when the race resumed, placing fifth on lap 43 and fourth on lap 50. The world champion executed two superb overtakes over Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc to finish second.
Bottas – Russell clash
Russell was on his way to gaining his first points for Williams midway through the race when he made a bold approach on Bottas on the run down to the Turn 2 chicane.
Russell lost control with his DRS fully open and under challenging circumstances, spearing into the side of Bottas at high speed, driving both into the barriers. Both drivers were luckily unharmed, but Russell was furious as he went over to meet Bottas. Although both drivers blamed each other, the stewards determined that it was a racing incident.
The same season Valtteri Bottas announced leaving Mercedes to race for Alfa Romeo in 2022. This paved the way for George Russell to join the world champions and partner Lewis Hamilton. Three races into the 2022 season, Russell is in second place in the drivers’ standings with 37 points and Bottas in tenth with 12 points.
Lando Norris
Lando Norris had a very encouraging start to his third season of Formula 1, which went unnoticed owing to the front-running fight. For the first time, Norris was outqualified by team newcomer Daniel Ricciardo. Still, he demonstrated on the opening lap that he will not be the stereotypical junior partner to the driver ten years his senior, with some superb passing. Norris had a flawless race despite making a mistake in qualifying, finishing third and earning the fan vote for Driver of the Day.