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Max Verstappen will start from pole position for Saturday’s Sprint race at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, with Qualifying being halted several times after five red flags. Charles Leclerc will start from second at Scuderia Ferrari’s home race, whilst Carlos Sainz Jr was left frustrated after crashing in Qualifying 2.

Verstappen mastered the wet conditions to claim pole at Ferrari’s home, the Dutchman will start in the optimum position for the first Sprint race of the season. The shock of the session came as both Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One Team drivers failed to make it out of Qualifying 2, after rain and red flags played havoc throughout the session.

Qualifying 1:

After no dry running in Free Practice 1 and a forty percent chance of further rain during Qualifying, all twenty cars exited the pits as soon as possible, whilst a surprising dry line remained around the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari Circuit. Not all cars began on the soft tyres though, with some deciding to set their opening laps on the Intermediates after so much rain fell overnight and during Friday morning.

Lewis Hamilton was one of the few to venture out on the Intermediates, however instantly reported to his team that there was a dry line. Both Mercedes drivers suffered from horrendous porpoising.

It didn’t take long for the session to be red-flagged, as Alex Albon’s rear-right tyre exploded in dramatic fashion after what appeared to be a combustion of heat due to too much friction. Fiery parts of his FW44, including his brake-line, were scattered across the circuit. Unsurprisingly this represented the end of Albon’s qualifying.

Rain greeted the drivers and teams as they headed out on track for the first European race of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari in Imola for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, and it was Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who would end the session fastest, despite his struggles with the wet track.

This weekend features a sprint race on the Saturday, so despite the wet weather, all teams were keen to get out on to the circuit and make the most of the track time ahead of qualifying later in the day.

The green light flickered on, signalling the start of the session and drivers headed out on to the track on the full wet-weather Pirelli tyres, despite the additional grip from the tyres the conditions were tricky, with championship leader Charles Leclerc claiming the first spin of the day as he pirouetted at turn 14.

The track conditions would claim the Williams Racing duo next, first Nicholas Latifi, who headed through the gravel trap before telling the team over the radio “the car keeps going into anti-stall, very strange.” Alex Albon also had a brief moment as he skimmed over the grass before getting back on track in a separate incident.

Red Bull Racing’s Sergio Perez will be entering the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix off of a great performance that earned him second place in Australia. He is pleased with the podium result and hopes to be taking the top positions more regularly moving forward.

“I am looking forward to getting back in the car this weekend. It was a mixed few days in Australia for the Team but for me I managed another consistent weekend, after my pole and fourth place in Jeddah.”

“I am pleased with how I have been performing so far and getting on the podium for the first time this season in Melbourne was a step in the right direction but I won’t stop there, I need and want to be there weekly for the Team and for myself.

Perez’s goal for the Imola weekend is to claim a large sum of points for the team, particularly focused on moving as close to the sharp end of the grid as possible with Friday qualifying. He mentioned the chance of rain as an added factor for the weekend. In the case of rain, Perez plans to look to his previous effort at a rainy Imola last year in order to prepare and make improvements.

“We go back to the sprint format this weekend and I will be aiming to pick up the most points possible. That all comes from a good qualifying performance on Friday, and I hope to hook it up again in Italy. It looks like it could rain this weekend so that will play a part and I want to learn from the performance I had in Imola in the wet last season and continue to improve in all areas.”

Porsche Cars North America have announced that the Porsche Rennsport Reunion will be returning in 2023 for the seventh time, celebrating some of the most exciting Porsche cars of all time, also acknowledging those who designed the cars and the drivers that pushed them to the limit.

While the exact theme, date and location of Rennsport VII is yet to be announced, Porsche fans from around the world will be looking forward to celebrating the Porsche legacy.

Brian Redman and Porsche Cars North America’s press spokesperson Bob Carlson first conceived the idea in 2001, with the first event taking place at Lime Rock Park in Connecticut; The most recent was in 2018 which saw 80,000 attend the event.

“We’re all excited to be able to announce the return of the Rennsport Reunion, which is always a highlight of Porsche motorsports enthusiasm and heritage” said Kjell Gruner, President and CEO of Porsche Cars North America Inc.

“Rennsport Reunion has grown quickly over the years into a truly one-of-a-kind experience of sight, sound and emotions. For a few days, it feels like everyone thrilled by the brand is united in one place, on and off the track, as one Porsche family. We’ll announce the date and location soon, but this much I can share already: Our ambition is to make Rennsport Reunion VII the best one yet.”

Rennsport Reunion VI Gallery

19-year-old Kiern Jewiss exploded back in to the Porsche Carrera Cup GB last season as he made the move from the F4 British championship back in to sports cars.

Having already amassed an impressive 195 trophies in karting, winning the Rookie championship in the Ginetta Junior Championship, claiming the F4 British Championship with a record-breaking year, becoming a BRDC SuperStar and making it as a finalist in the BRDC McLaren (now Aston Martin) Autosport BRDC Award, Jewiss moved in to the Carrera Cup GB series with Team Parker Racing.

Despite it being his first season he hit the front of the pack early, claiming four overall victories throughout the year, finishing third in the championship and taking the Rookie title in the process.

While the deal has only just been announced, Jewiss has been busy testing this year already, “Testing has been positive, and it will be good to get the season underway at Donington Park, close to where the team is based,” he said.

“Hopefully, we’ll hit the ground running this year after a good debut season where we won the Rookie title and, if we can begin with some good results, then we can build momentum throughout the season.

The first European round of the 2022 FIA Formula 1 World Championship see’s Scuderia Ferrari returning home, for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at the world famous Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.

The start of the season has been near-perfection for Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc leading the championship after winning two of the three opening rounds of the season. Carlos Sainz Jr has also started the season excellently, and is now celebrating his two-year contract extension with the team which was announced in the build-up to this weekend.

A win for Ferrari in their back garden will go down as one of the most emotional victories in the team’s history, after all the ups and downs they’ve experienced over recent years. Ferrari’s Head of Corporate and Sports Events, Alessandra Naldi, explained the emotional connection between Imola and Ferrari.

“Because the red thread that links Imola and Maranello runs the length of Emilia-Romagna, a region in which cars are a religion. Ferrari was born here in a part of the world where the most beautiful cars are made. So the link between Imola and the Maranello marque is an emotional one. The depth of support it gets here is the essence of the feelings of those who grew up in the area and those who come here from all over the world to share the energy, the cheering and the passion.

“Although it’s a real race track, with changes of gradient and corners that provide the fans with thrills and excitement, it actually winds its way in between greenery and houses on the edge of town, which means their balconies become high-end viewing areas from which to watch the show and they are packed out during all the sessions.

Ahead of Scuderia Ferrari’s home Grand Prix this weekend at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, the team have announced that Carlos Sainz Jr will be remaining with the team until at least the end of the 2024 season.

After an impressive start his second year as part of the Scuderia, Sainz has signed a two-year contract extension which will see him with the team until at least 2024. The Spaniard is very pleased that his journey with the team will continue for at least another two seasons.

“I am delighted to have renewed my contract with Scuderia Ferrari. I have always said that there is no better Formula 1 team to race for and after over a year with them, I can confirm that all my expectations have been exceeded. Putting on this race suit and representing this team is a great honour for me and I really look forward to keep enjoying our journey together. My first season at Maranello was solid and constructive, with the whole group progressing together and the result of all that work has been clear to see so far season.

“I feel confident and hugely motivated after this renewal as it shows the trust in me and now I can’t wait to get in the car, to do my best for Ferrari and to give its fans plenty to cheer about. When I joined the team in 2021 the goal was to help Ferrari get back to the winning ways and to fight for both Championships. Now, the F1-75 is proving to be a front-runner, which truly allows me to chase those goals.“

Scuderia Ferrari Team Principal, Mattia Binotto, is equally pleased. Binotto believes that the partnership of Sainz and Charles Leclerc is the strongest in the paddock.

Luke Browning won on his GB3 Championship debut weekend in a wildcard appearance at Oulton Park last September, and he made it three wins from two visits by winning Race 1 and Race 2 of the 2022 season.

The Hitech GP driver ran away with both races to win from pole position, having taken a double pole on Saturday morning.

Roberto Faria and Matthew Rees joined the local favourite on the podium in Race 1, while Faria and Joel Granfors completed Race 2’s top three positions.

Browning retired from the reverse-grid Race 3 after contact with Tom Lebbon, though his wins, and 19-point hauls for both Cian Shields and Bryce Aron across the weekend saw Hitech top the Teams’ Championship for the first time, just four points ahead of two-time podium finishers and Race 3 winners Fortec Motorsport.

One of the success stories of the weekend was Elite Motorsport‘s single-seater debutant, John Bennett.

Team Principal of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team ,Toto Wolff, praised the team for the work they have done to the Mercedes W13 car over the Easter weekend, ahead of the upcoming Emilia Romagna Grand Prix in Italy.

This weekend will also feature the first Sprint race of the 2022 season. Wolff discussed what he deemed as an “incredible” Australian Grand Prix, and how the team are looking ahead of this weekend .

“Melbourne was a great weekend for Formula One, the atmosphere was incredible, and it was wonderful to be back in Australia in front of so many fans. For us, the race went better than we expected, especially after a difficult Friday.

“George and Lewis were both on strong form all weekend and delivered a useful haul of points for the Team. We learned a lot and really maximised the opportunities available, and that’s what we need to keep doing. We know we haven’t got the pace of the Ferrari and Red Bull right now. But we’re working hard to reduce their advantage, and it’s been brilliant to see everyone across the factories pulling together to achieve this.

“There’s been a lot of hard work over the Easter weekend in the factory to bring improvements to the car and get it ready to head to the next race, and that shows the team’s dedication to turning the situation around. Of course, we must be realistic, it will take time to make the gains we want, but we’re learning as much as we can from each race and finding avenues to push us forward.

The FIA Formula 2 grid heads to the north of Italy for the first time since F2’s rebrand in 2017, as they take to the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari for the third round of the 2022 championship.

The inclusion of the San Marino circuit to F2 comes after the 2020 revival of the San Marino Grand Prix which was renamed to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.

The 2020 contest marked the first Grand Prix at the circuit since 2006 where Michael Schumacher took victory in his final year at Scuderia Ferrari.

The Story So Far

MP Motorsport’s Felipe Drugovich comes into the third round of the season as championship leader following his defiant display on the streets of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit two weeks ago.

The Brazilian’s Feature Race win from Pole Position was an impressive feat and he leads Carlin’s Liam Lawson who took victory in Jeddah’s Sprint Race. Trident’s Richard Verschoor rounds out the top three in the standings after his second place finish behind Drugovich in Jeddah’s FR.

The FIA Formula 3 Championship visits the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola for the first time this weekend, over a month after the opening round of the season at the Bahrain International Circuit.

Isack Hadjar and Victor Martins won the first two races of the season on F3’s first visit to the Middle East, before the teams headed to Spain for two rounds of testing at Circuito de Jerez and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Prema Racing dominated both Day 1 and Day 2 at Jerez, while Gregoire Saucy and Caio Collet topped the times in Barcelona.

Martins’ team-mate Saucy took his first F3 podium in Bahrain, helping ART Grand Prix to the top of the Teams’ Championship in the early stages.

Martins and Leclerc are separated by just one point going into the third and fourth races of the season, with Leclerc’s Prema team-mate Oliver Bearman seven points behind Leclerc.

17-year-old race driver Bianca Bustamante has announced her signing with IGY6 Motorsports where she will race in the USF Junior Championship, a series which is a pre-step up to Road to Indy ladder series. Across the United States, USF Juniors will be staged at famous tracks with two weekends being supported by Indy Car.

Bustamante will race this weekend on the 23/24 April 2022 for the race opener at the Ozarks International Raceway in Missouri for championship’s first ever season. The race comes just two weeks before Bustamante will make her W Series debut at the Miami International Autodrome on 6-8 May 2022.

She will gain invaluable experience in USF Juniors as this will be her first-ever formula car race weekend. Bustamante will take part in four out of the championship’s six races, missing the final two due to schedule clashes.

The Filipino driver impressed W Series’ Race Director Dave Ryan earlier this year with how quickly she was able to adapt to the cars during pre-season tests in Barcelona and Arizona. Bustamante has gained experience driving formula cars however is yet to compete in them against others during race weekends.

As well as completing W Series pre-season tests, the 17-year-old partook in the USF Juniors Official Test in Barber Motorsports Park at the end of March 2022, where she drove for IGY6 Motorsports again proving her ability to adapt and deliver results.

Porsche Carrera Cup GB race winner Matty Graham returns to the series for the 2022 season after being forced to sit out a full campaign in 2021, once again teaming up with Team Redline Racing for his second full season in the championship.

Graham made an impressive impact in the 2020 season, finishing the year in third place in the championship with a victory, one second-place and three third-place finishes. 2021 saw the 25-year-old on the sidelines for all except one outing at Silverstone, where he collected two fifth-place finishes.

“We’re delighted to be able to go racing full-time with Matty again this season. He showed us across the 2020 season just how much of a talented driver he is, with some brilliant performances led by his fantastic victory at Knockhill,” said Team Redline Racing Managing director Simon Leonard.

“It was a huge shame to see him spend most of last year on the sidelines, so it’s great that his hard work has paid off and got him on track again. He’s adapted well to the new car so far in testing and we’re confident he’ll be a leading contender in the championship again this year.”

Matty Graham added, “It still doesn’t feel real that I’m racing the full season in the Carrera Cup GB. We’ve worked hard to get this deal together and I certainly don’t take these things for granted.

”My main concern was that I wouldn’t have much time in the new car, but that concern has been put to rest at the Silverstone media day. I found the car quite comfortable to drive and our lap times were promising.

The FIA Formula 1 World Championship is approaching the fourth race of the 2022 season, once again returning to the famous Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari circuit in Italy; and Pierre Gasly is hoping to take a step forward with Scuderia AlphaTauri in the upcoming race weekend, at a circuit he really enjoys.

“It was a little bit of a long trip to Australia just for a few days there, but it was worth it, as I scored points again,” said Gasly. “It was a weekend that finished well despite complications early on and was certainly less straightforward than the first two rounds in terms of pure speed.

“But in the end, we remained concentrated and got a result, although I was unlucky to have pitted just before the Safety Car, which cost me five places. But I put my head down and, in the end, we managed to pick up two more points. That’s not a lot but it’s important to be in the points whenever possible.”

The Frenchman still has faith in his team that they can close up to their competitors, especially after McLaren F1 Team and BWT Alpine F1 Team saw a leap in performance at the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park Street Circuit.

“We know we still have work to do, we must bring more performance to the package and that’s the plan for Imola this week. Then, looking at the other teams, we saw that McLaren and Alpine were very quick so that with the three top teams out in front, we found ourselves 11th in Qualifying. It’s very close in the midfield, but we don’t need to find much performance to be able to improve.”

27-year-old Jessica Hawkins claimed her maiden win at Oulton Park in TCR UK on Monday 18 April 2022. Hawkins drove with Area Motorsport with FASTR, starting behind her teammate Jamie Tonks. The W Series driver started second but claimed first position from the first corner and managed to hold off pressure from Max Hart until the end of the race.

Hawkins, who will race for Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors team in W Series’ third season, is the first British woman to take victory in the TCR U.K competition. She becomes the third female to compete in TCR U.K since 2018 when Jessica Bäckman took part.

As well as her 2022 competitions, Hawkins is well known for being a stunt driver with Fast and the Furious Live and James Bond movie ‘No Time to Die’. She further remains a driver ambassador for Aston Martin Formula One Team where she joined in May 2021.

The next round of TCR UK will see drivers compete at Donington Park on 28/29 May 2022. Before this, Hawkins will race at W Series season opener at Miami International Autodrome for the first of 10 races supported by eight Formula One Grand Prix weekends.