Verstappen wins sprint race, secures pole position at Imola

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won Saturday's sprint qualifying race at Imola to secure pole position for Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc of Ferrari finished in second place, while Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez took third.

Here's the full grid for Sunday's race:

The victory earns Verstappen eight points in the drivers' championship standings, while Leclerc picks up seven points for finishing second.

Verstappen started on pole, but Leclerc was able to get the inside track after an impressive move at the beginning of the race. Verstappen bided his time until utilizing DRS on the penultimate lap to make his move and ultimately pass Leclerc for good.

The defending world champion was pleased with his performance.

"Very happy to have a clean sprint race at the end," Verstappen said. "I'm, of course, happy about today. But tomorrow, other tire compounds will come into play."

Leclerc, meanwhile, lamented his late showing after a strong start.

"We struggled with the tires at the end, so we need to analyze that for tomorrow," he said. "It's life; we will work and come back stronger tomorrow."

Mercedes' disappointing start to the season continued with both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finishing outside the top 10. It's the first time since the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix that both Mercedes drivers failed to qualify inside the top 10.

This was the first of three sprint races on the 2022 schedule, with events in Austria and Brazil to follow.