IMOLA, Italy (AP) — Max Verstappen delivered a major push to defend his Formula One title by winning the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix on Sunday, following a bold early overtaking move on the race leader, Oscar Piastri.
The Dutch driver built a commanding lead that faded when the safety car regrouped the pack. Still, he held off to claim victory ahead of Lando Norris, who passed his McLaren teammate, Piastri, for second place with five laps to go.
This marks Verstappen’s second win of the season and his first since last month’s Japanese Grand Prix. It also denied Piastri, who finished third, what would have been his fourth consecutive victory.
Verstappen praised the “fantastic execution in every aspect” by his team Red Bull, who also celebrated their 400th F1 race with a victory.
“The start itself wasn’t particularly good, but I was still on the outside line, or basically on the normal racing line, and I thought, ‘Well, I’m just going to try on the outside,’ and it worked out very well,” Verstappen said about his crucial overtake. “That, of course, unleashed our pace because once we were in front, the car was good.”
Norris’s late move on Piastri was almost a mirror of Verstappen’s, though Norris had the benefit of fresher tires than his teammate.
“We had a good little battle at the end between Oscar and me, which is always tense, but always fun,” Norris said, acknowledging that Verstappen and Red Bull were “too good for us today.”
Piastri’s margin over Norris in the standings narrowed to 13 points. Verstappen sits nine points behind Norris.
Lewis Hamilton recovered from 12th on the grid to finish fourth in his first Ferrari race in Italy.
Hamilton benefited from the late on-track battle between his teammate Charles Leclerc and Alex Albon of Williams.
Albon complained that Leclerc edged him off the track while they fought for fourth, and Hamilton pounced to pass both drivers before Ferrari finally asked Leclerc to cede fifth to Albon.
George Russell was seventh for Mercedes, ahead of Carlos Sainz Jr. in the second Williams. Isack Hadjar finished ninth for Racing Bulls, and Verstappen’s teammate at Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda, was tenth after starting at the back following a qualifying crash.
A action-packed farewell
Few expected overtakes in what could be Imola’s last F1 race for the foreseeable future. Instead, Italian fans were treated to Verstappen’s spectacular opening move and a host of other passing maneuvers.
Imola’s tight, twisty circuit has long been a favorite among drivers, who have relished its old-school challenge since returning to the F1 calendar during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet its status as Italy’s second race — with only the United States hosting more than one — leaves it vulnerable.
“If we don’t come back here, it would be a pity,” Piastri said on Saturday.
Sunday’s race was the last under Imola’s current contract, and while it isn’t officially a farewell yet, there has been no word about next year.
