Max Verstappen Dominates Emilia Romagna GP

Max Verstappen delivered a flawless performance to secure victory at the action-packed Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. McLaren`s Lando Norris finished second, narrowly beating his teammate Oscar Piastri.

Starting from second position, Verstappen made an impressive move around the outside of pole-sitter Piastri at the first chicane on the opening lap. From there, the Red Bull driver expertly managed the race from the front.

Verstappen appeared set for a comfortable win until a late Safety Car intervention closed the field. However, he pulled away again during the final 10-lap sprint. Lando Norris, benefiting from fresher tyres, was able to overtake Piastri for second place in these closing laps.

Piastri`s challenge for victory was hindered by McLaren`s decision to pit him relatively early. This strategic choice resulted in him getting stuck in traffic, while Verstappen and Norris were able to extend their opening stints on their tyres significantly.

Following this result, the gap in the Drivers` Championship narrows among the top contenders. Max Verstappen reinforces his lead, while Lando Norris`s second place helps him gain on his teammate Oscar Piastri in the standings. McLaren also extends its advantage at the top of the Constructors` Championship.

Reflecting on the race, 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. Incredibly proud of everyone. It`s been a very important week for us. The car has performed really well.”

Lewis Hamilton mounted a superb recovery drive, climbing from 12th on the grid to finish fourth in his first race in Italy for Ferrari. The seven-time world champion capitalized on both the Virtual Safety Car and the full Safety Car periods, executing several overtakes in the final laps to achieve his best Grand Prix result to date with Ferrari.

Alex Albon secured fifth place for Williams in a second consecutive strong performance. This came after the other Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc, yielded the position on the final lap, having been investigated for forcing the Williams off track during a late battle.

George Russell experienced a challenging afternoon for Mercedes, finishing seventh after starting third, partly due to strategy. The team`s struggles were compounded when Kimi Antonelli was forced to retire from his home race with a throttle issue.

Carlos Sainz finished eighth, contributing points that helped Williams solidify their fifth position in the constructors` standings.

Isack Hadjar continued his promising rookie season by taking ninth place for Racing Bulls. Yuki Tsunoda completed an impressive recovery from a pit lane start, following a significant qualifying crash, to secure the final point for Red Bull.

Emilia Romagna GP Result: Top 10