Max Verstappen said his victory at the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix was “quite surprising,” having feared a repeat of Miami.
After missing out on pole on Saturday, the Dutchman began his charge from the front row.
A slow start put him under pressure, but he soon seized the lead with a daring move around Oscar Piastri at Turn 1.
After an early pit stop for the McLaren driver, Verstappen stayed out front, pitting under the Virtual Safety Car to emerge nearly 20 seconds ahead of Lando Norris.
Despite a late Safety Car, he pulled away again to secure a dominant win.
Following his Friday frustrations over poor pace — especially being overtaken by the McLarens — victory seemed unlikely, particularly after his experience in Miami, which ended in defeat to Piastri and Norris.
But Imola proved to be a different story for the Red Bull driver.
“Yeah, the initial start wasn’t that amazing, but then Turn 2 luckily worked out quite well for me,” he said in the post-race Drivers’ Press Conference.
“So I was happy to be in the lead, but I was still not entirely sure how quick we were going to be.
“Because I was also in the lead in Miami, but we did not have a great pace there.
“So I just tried to follow a bit my rhythm; I do think the car felt a bit nicer, a bit more controlled to drive now in the long run.
“That helped me, I think, also to look after the tyres, probably a bit more than normal.
“So yeah, overall quite surprising, but of course very happy with what we showed today.
“I just hope that we can show this kind of performance a bit more often.”
Verstappen says Turn 1 move needed to be ‘precise’
His second win of the season came courtesy of a fine move on Piastri on the opening lap, once again showcasing the demeanour of a four-time World Champion.
Verstappen took his championship rival by surprise, as Piastri was too focused on defending his lead from the Mercedes of George Russell to anticipate the move.
When asked about the overtake, the 27-year-old explained that it left no room for error with the pair so close together.
“I think it’s a bit like I started to carry a bit more speed to the apex,” Verstappen said.
“Then at one point, you have that kind of a momentum swing going into Turn 3.
“And then, of course, I knew that I was ahead, but it all goes so fast.
“You have to be really precise to try and not go too far offline.
“But yeah, luckily the grip was all right there.”
In the Drivers’ Standings, Verstappen now trails Piastri by 22 points and Norris by nine points after the opening seven rounds.
READ MORE – Max Verstappen takes F1 Imola GP win after first-lap heroics
