IMOLA, Italy – Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc’s late battle for victory on the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix’s dash race was the icing on the cake for Method One boss Ross Brawn, who’s already planning to roll out the format at twice as many races in 2023.

Imola’s race is the primary of three this season to characteristic the dash qualifying format, with reruns to comply with in Austria and Brazil. It sees conventional qualifying shift to Friday to set the grid for a shorter occasion on Saturday, which in flip units the beginning order for Sunday’s grand prix.

Dash qualifying was used at occasions at Silverstone, Monza and Interlagos in 2021 and F1 had hoped to double the quantity for this yr, just for groups to push again over considerations round prices.

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Saturday’s dash featured loads of passes as Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz fought by the sector whereas different drivers held on to degrading tyres within the closing laps. It was not settled out in entrance till Verstappen reeled in Leclerc and handed the championship chief at first of the penultimate lap with the help of the Drag Discount System overtaking help.

“Very happy,” F1 motorsport boss Brawn mentioned on Saturday afternoon concerning the dash. “Nice leisure, plenty of racing happening, loads of overtaking, we demonstrated the vehicles might follows. I do know it’s possible you’ll say ‘nicely it was DRS’ however you’ll be able to’t use DRS except you may get on the again of the automotive, so I believe total it was very profitable.”

Brawn and F1’s group bosses will focus on growing the dash allocation from three to 6 in 2023 subsequent week.

“We would wish to have six subsequent yr,” Brawn mentioned. “I believe [team bosses] can see the success.

“We did not fairly know the place we had been final yr with the previous vehicles however I believe they’ll see the best way that is feeding into the brand new vehicles. I am optimistic they’re going to all see the worth in it. Even the followers. What it is best to at all times bear in mind concerning the dash is it provides you an incredible Friday as nicely. We have had three days of motion for the followers and we will not ignore that.”

Not everyone seems to be satisfied. Mercedes driver George Russell, who laboured to eleventh place within the group’s underperforming W13 automotive, mentioned the race must be at the least 50 % longer to permit tyre degradation to play a much bigger function in figuring out the ending order.

Brawn mentioned the fights within the prime half of the order confirmed this had occurred sufficient and that it’s pure for drivers on the again to complain.

Referring to his days as boss of a group, Brawn mentioned: “At any time when my drivers had a foul automotive, he is complained concerning the race. I believe George’s opinion, or the opinion of anybody behind the grid, isn’t the opinions you actually hearken to. The opinions we hearken to are the fellows are actually racing and are racing on the entrance.

“They’re in a really unlucky place however I do not suppose their place behind the grid is absolutely one displays the true place of racing.”

“I simply know from my very own expertise that psychologically a driver behind the grid has all types of issues happening. It could be nice if there have been issues happening on the again however we had a Mercedes that could not overtake the vehicles in entrance. However there was loads of overtaking within the center and the entrance.

“In fact we’ll pay attention, we cannot ignore it, however you need to hold a perspective on it.”

Affected person strategy pays off for Max

Having misplaced the result in Leclerc nearly as quickly as their vehicles began rolling off the grid Verstappen waited patiently for 20 laps.

Backing up what Brawn would later say concerning the tyre degradation, Verstappen mentioned catching and passing Leclerc late on was all the way down to his tyres being in a greater state and ready for the suitable second.

“Charles was undoubtedly struggling extra with the graining,” Verstappen mentioned. “Then after all, I might shut up and use the DRS to get by. However I believe it was extra simply of a little bit of a ready recreation, as a result of each lap it appeared just like the hole or the distinction between the 2 vehicles was getting greater by way of a lap instances.

“It is a very difficult when you get round that one second window to get tremendous shut With these vehicles, it’s higher to comply with. But it surely’s nonetheless very onerous to move. You continue to want to make use of the tyres and particularly with the deg we had on the mushy, getting in that DRS window, it was onerous.”

Regardless of passing Leclerc late on, Verstappen solely gained one level on the early runaway championship chief.

Underneath revised guidelines for this yr, the highest eight finishers get factors — factors had solely been on provide for the highest three in 2021.

Verstappen will begin forward of Leclerc on Sunday afternoon, with respective teammates Perez and Sainz straight behind, which ought to arrange an interesting duel for victory and the rostrum locations.

Ferrari is hoping for a primary win at Imola, the closest F1 race to its fabled headquarters at Maranello, since Michael Schumacher’s in 2006.