By Robert Haile

Sprint races give those with a poor qualifying a chance to improve but those that had a good position have got to hold onto it.

After the qualifying session yesterday, July 8, Red Bull had both with Max Verstappen taking pole position and Sergio Perez being penalised for leaving the track without justification being dropped to thirteenth.

Alpine’s Fernando Alonso did not start with the car up on jacks with tyre jackets on the grid as the others set off on the formation lap.

There was another lap needed as Zhou Guanyu Alfa Romeo but was able to rejoin the race.

Getting away at the start Verstappen kept pole with Sainz overtaking Leclerc with the pair swapping again later in the lap.

The Ferraris continued to battle for some of the race before settling with Leclerc ahead of Sainz with Mercedes’ George Russell having a quiet race in fourth.

The main mover from thirteenth to fifth was Red Bull’s Perez who cut through the field gaining five places on the first lap.

The one Alpine in the sprint race scored points as Esteban Ocon held on the sixth ahead of Haas’ Kevin Magnussen and the recovered Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton in the last point scoring place in eighth after a collision with AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.

Mick Schumacher Haas missed out in ninth with Alfa Romeo’s Valtteri Bottas in tenth, but will start from the back due to power unit penalties, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo behind them.

Finishing the race in thirteenth but penalised for forcing Norris of the track Williams’ Alex Albon ended up in sixteenth with Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll, Alfa Romeo’s Zhou Guanyu and AlphaTauri’s Gasly all gaining a place.

The other AlphaTauri of Yuki Tsunoda will start seventeenth with Williams’ Nicholas Latifi last in eighteenth.

The two who didn’t finish will start at the back with Aston Martin’s Sebastian Vettel in front of Alpine’s Alonso.