Red Bull’s Max Verstappen triumphed in the inaugural F1 Sprint Race to take pole position for tomorrow’s race.
A sizzling, fire-breathing Max Verstappen claimed victory in the first-ever F1 Sprint Race on a scorching hot day. The Dutchman aced the start to beat title rival Lewis Hamilton off the line.
Yesterday’s hero Hamilton challenged Verstappen into Brooklands and Copse on the opening lap, but to no avail. Verstappen starts from pole position tomorrow, and he took three extra points to further his championship lead.
Mercedes split their tyre strategies by starting Valtteri Bottas on the soft tyre; ultimately, it made no difference. The Finn came home in a lonely third ahead of Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari.
Leclerc’s teammate Carlos Sainz lost a lot on lap one. The Spaniard collided with George Russell at Brooklands; however, he climbed his way through the field to start 11th in tomorrow’s race.
Conversely, Sergio Perez couldn’t fight through the pack after his spin at the exit of Chapel. A miraculous save kept Perez out of the wall, although Red Bull still chose to retire his car after he got stuck in 18th place.
Fernando Alonso’s start on soft tyres paid off as he gained six places on Lap 1. The Alpine driver then defended valiantly against the McLarens.
Norris and Ricciardo eventually overtook Alonso to come home in fifth and sixth. It was a good session for McLaren as they are in an excellent spot to take a bagful of points over their main rivals in tomorrow’s race.
Kimi Raikkonen demonstrated all his veteran instincts to finish 13th; it was a strong drive from the Alfa Romeo driver to seal a starting spot in the midfield.
In the end, Max Verstappen is proving to be the man to beat. Even after yesterday’s slight issue, he bounced back to extend his lead and take control of tomorrow’s race.
Provisional Classification
| Position | Driver | Chassis | Laps | Time | Gap | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Max Verstappen |
Red Bull | 17 | – | ||
| 2 |  Lewis Hamilton |
Mercedes | 17 | 1.430s | 1.430s | |
| 3 |  Valtteri Bottas |
Mercedes | 17 | 7.502s | 7.502s | |
| 4 |  Charles Leclerc |
Ferrari | 17 | 11.278s | 11.278s | |
| 5 | Lando Norris |
McLaren | 17 | 24.111s | 24.111s | |
| 6 |  Daniel Ricciardo |
McLaren | 17 | 30.959s | 30.959s | |
| 7 |  Fernando Alonso |
Alpine | 17 | 43.527s | 43.527s | |
| 8 |  Sebastian Vettel |
Aston Martin | 17 | 44.439s | 44.439s | |
| 9 | George Russell |
Williams | 17 | 46.652s | 46.652s | |
| 10 |  Esteban Ocon |
Alpine | 17 | 47.395s | 47.395s | |
| 11 | Carlos Sainz Jr. |
Ferrari | 17 | 47.798s | 47.798s | |
| 12 | Pierre Gasly |
AlphaTauri | 17 | 48.763s | 48.763s | |
| 13 | Kimi Raikkonen |
Alfa Romeo | 17 | 50.677s | 50.677s | |
| 14 |  Lance Stroll |
Aston Martin | 17 | 52.179s | 52.179s | |
| 15 |  Antonio Giovinazzi |
Alfa Romeo | 17 | 53.225s | 53.225s | |
| 16 |  Yuki Tsunoda |
AlphaTauri | 17 | 53.567s | 53.567s | |
| 17 | Nicholas Latifi |
Williams | 17 | 55.162s | 55.162s | |
| 18 | Mick Schumacher |
Haas | 17 | 1’08.213s | 1’08.213s | |
| 19 |  Nikita Mazepin |
Haas | 17 | 1’17.648s | 1’17.648s | |
| 20 |  Sergio Perez |
Red Bull | 16 |
