Alonso, who started fifth in the sprint race, will start ninth at Imola
MADRID, 23 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Dutch driver Max Verstappen (Red Bull) has secured pole position for Sunday’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix after winning Saturday’s qualifying sprint race by regaining his first starting position on the final lap against the Monegasque Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), while the Spaniards Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) and Fernando Alonso (Alpine) will start fourth and ninth, respectively.
Leclerc, leader of the Formula 1 World Championship, suffered from the incomprehensible wear on his right front tire and could not withstand the harassment of ‘Mad Max’, whom he had masterfully overtaken at the start and who managed to get past him with one lap to go .
Thus, the Dutchman, who takes the eight points of the sprint, was able to make up for his poor start thanks to his good tire management.
To Verstappen’s pole, the energy brand team added the great third position of the Mexican Sergio ‘Checo’ Pérez (Red Bull), who will start on the second row together with the Spanish Carlos Sainz (Ferrari), who starred in the great comeback of the day with patience and lap after lap.
The man from Madrid, who after his crash in Q2 on Friday was forced to start tenth this Saturday, presented his candidacy for victory on Sunday with a spectacular performance in Imola, where he left Alonso, the Dane Kevin Magnussen (Haas ), the Australian Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) and the British Lando Norris (McLaren) to guarantee the fourth starting place.
On the other hand, Alonso could not meet the expectations of ‘El Plan’ and will have to settle for starting ninth. He started fifth in the sprint, but he already dropped two places at the start, exhibiting an unexpected pace and showing that his potential is just one lap away.