BarcelonaThe new format with the sprint classification has once again disappointed. The exit, which has been rugged, has appeared on the tarmac on safety car and the race has become a train of cars for fear of taking risks. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) has been the winner of the qualifying race, but, sanctioned for having made changes to his car, will start from the last position and the first place will be occupied by Max Verstappen (Red Bull). After today’s session, Hamilton has complicated the race this Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix (3pm, DAZN) and will finish fourth.
The start, which promised to be one of the busiest moments of the sprint race, was bumpy and Pierre Gasly (Alpha Tauri) took the brunt of losing the front wing and crashing into the guards. He safety car has made an appearance on the track, which is quite common this season, and Bottas has come to control the time and pace. The Finn was in charge of relaunching the race and, mischievously, he caught all the drivers he had stuck in his Mercedes by surprise and catapulted himself to the pole. Bottas has crossed the finish line first without any opposition. The Mercedes, however, will start from the last position because before the Grand Prix the German team decided to change the power unit of the Finnish car. Therefore, Max Verstappen will start from the first position on the starting grid of the Grand Prix of the Monza circuit accompanied by Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren).
The big casualty, however, has been Lewis Hamilton. The seven-time world champion has done very badly and has lost three positions, to fifth. Despite repeated attempts to overtake Lando Norris (McLaren), the British driver has not been able to get more juice out of his car and will be frustrated to face this Sunday’s race in a much less comfortable way than expected. While the new format adds excitement to the race, the drivers of all the teams are aware that they have more to lose than to win and are saving their strength for Sunday’s fights.
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