Another strong day for Mercedes, Haas; Schumacher scores in second consecutive race.
Charles Leclerc claimed his first F1 victory in three months, beating Max Verstappen, while Haas had its best Formula 1 event in four years.Few would have expected that after winning in Australia it would be another eight races before Charles Leclerc savored the Monegasque and Italian anthems from the top step of the Formula 1 podium.
In front of a partisan support, with the track shrouded in orange mist in the opening stages, Verstappen had to settle for second-best. Despite losing out to Leclerc he still departs Austria, and the mid-point of the 2022 season, with a healthy 38-point advantage over the Ferrari driver in the championship.
The drivers repaid the hard work put in by their mechanics. Hamilton recovered from eighth on the grid to finish on the podium for a third successive event while Russell trailed home in fourth, following a penalty for clashing with Sergio Perez. Mercedes remains adrift of Red Bull and Ferrari on pure pace, and the Constructors’ title is out of reach, but gradually the W13 is emerging as a potential contender.
Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher were seventh and ninth respectively in Sprint, giving the Dane two points, though Schumacher was frustrated at being overtaken by Lewis Hamilton after losing the DRS from his team-mate. He felt that Magnussen should have remained closer, giving him the overtaking aid, to help him in his Hamilton fight.