Verstappen Claims Victory at Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, Fends Off McLarens

IMOLA — Max Verstappen clinched his second win of the season at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, successfully holding off a challenge from the two McLaren drivers, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, who finished second and third respectively.

Verstappen took the lead from pole-sitter Piastri right at the start in the first corner. He then managed the race skillfully, maintaining his composure even after a late safety car period, to secure the 65th grand prix victory of his career.

Reflecting on the race start, Verstappen commented, “The start itself wasn`t particularly great, but I was still on the outside line, the normal line, so I was like `well I`m going to try and send it around the outside` and it worked really well. Of course, that unleashed our pace because when we were in the lead, the car was good. I could look after my tyres.”

Championship leader Piastri, who started the race from pole position with the aim of extending his winning streak to four races, ultimately finished in third place after his teammate Norris overtook him for second with only five laps remaining.

Regarding the first lap incident, Piastri stated, “I just braked too early. It was a good move by Max as well. Disappointing obviously but we made a few wrong calls after that anyway. Not our best Sunday, so definitely a lot of things to look at and review. Well done to Max and Red Bull. It was a good move and they had pace today.”

Piastri`s race strategy, including a two-stop plan and a poorly-timed virtual safety car intervention in the first half, didn`t fully play out in his favour. However, he was elevated back to second place under a later safety car period when Norris pitted for fresh tyres while he stayed out.

The difference in tyre strategies between the two McLaren drivers created a direct duel once the safety car departed with ten laps left. With his newer tyres, Norris was able to close the gap to Piastri rapidly and execute a decisive overtake.

This move by Norris was crucial and followed a similarly impressive pass he made on George Russell earlier in the race.

The podium finishes helped to reduce the gaps at the top of the championship standings. Piastri`s lead over Norris is now just 13 points, and Verstappen has closed the gap to the championship leader to 22 points.

While the points gained are important, Verstappen and Red Bull will be particularly encouraged by the car`s performance. It appeared superior to the McLarens at Imola, a stark contrast to the previous race in Miami where Piastri and Norris achieved a dominant one-two finish.

The next event on the championship calendar will see the teams and drivers head to the famous street circuit of Monaco.

Lewis Hamilton achieved his best result since joining Ferrari earlier this year, finishing fourth in front of the team`s passionate home supporters. Despite starting down in 12th position after a difficult qualifying session, effective strategy calls and improved race pace allowed the seven-time world champion to progress through the field on Sunday.

Hamilton`s ascent to fourth was indirectly assisted by his teammate Charles Leclerc. Leclerc was running fourth after the safety car but was struggling on old tyres while defending against Alex Albon`s Williams in the final laps.

As Leclerc defended the inside line from Albon at Turn 1 on lap 60 of 63, Albon was forced onto the gravel, allowing Hamilton to sweep past the Williams. Albon recovered to finish fifth, while Leclerc dropped to sixth, appearing frustrated by the outcome of his race.

George Russell was the highest-finishing driver for Mercedes in seventh place, despite starting the race from third on the grid. Like Piastri, his early two-stop strategy didn`t pay off, and he lost positions towards the end of the race as he was caught on older tyres after the safety car period.

Russell`s teammate Andrea Kimi Antonelli did not finish the race and was the cause of the safety car deployment on lap 46 when his Mercedes car broke down.

Carlos Sainz finished eighth for Williams, ahead of Isack Hadjar who took ninth place for Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda completed the points scorers in tenth for Red Bull, having started the race from the pit lane following a crash during qualifying.

Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Top 10 Results