Max Verstappen takes F1 Imola GP win after first-lap heroics

Max Verstappen cruised to his second Formula 1 victory of the season after a heroic first-lap overtake helped him see off the challenge of the McLarens in the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola.

The reigning World Champion bravely overtook pole-sitter Oscar Piastri around the outside into the first chicane at the start, and further benefitted from Virtual and full Safety Car periods to help Red Bull truncate the current McLaren dominance.

Piastri, by contrast, was more a victim, and was unale to hold-off a late surge by team-mate Lando Norris, who took second place.

Verstappen blindsides Piastri at Tamburello

At lights out, Piastri held onto his lead initially but Verstappen kept his foot in it, and majestically slid past the McLaren around the outside at the first apex.

Russell maintained third place but was enraged by Piastri holding him up unto Turn 1, exclaiming “what the f**k was he doing?” to his team.

Harried by Norris, Russell settled into third place, but was immediately harried by Norris, as Alonso tucked in in fifth.

Charles Leclerc worked his Ferrari up to 10th, but Lewis Hamilton dropped to 13th, the #44 starting on hard tyres.

Into Lap 3, buoyed by the Tifosi, Hamilton made a lunge down the inside of Antonelli into Tamburello but the local boy covered him off.

Conversely, Leclerc was in no mood to mess around, and into the Piratella, he dived inside Gasly’s Alpine for ninth, the Frenchman left with no room and skidding over the gravel, dropping him to 14th.

By Lap 5, Verstappen was able to open up a 1.5s lead, escaping the DRS threat of Piastri for now.

Leclerc was beginning to pull clear of Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bulls, with Hamilton continuing to pressurise Antonelli, forcing the Mercedes into a minor mistake on the exit of Turn 1, but kept his place.

Norris barges into third

As Verstappen maintained the same gap, Russell started to fall away from Piastri, and as one papaya car shrunk in his eyeline, another loomed large in his mirrors.

Norris did not shy away getting wheel-to-wheel with Russell, and on Laps 9 and 10, looked to take him into Villeneuve, the second attempt seeing the McLaren place two wheels onto the grass.

Russell, exasperated and scepetical at not reaching the “target lap” to pit, was becoming further required to defend, and on Lap 11, the pressure told.

Forced into a mistake by Norris on the exit of Turn 3, the McLaren made a brave move on the outside into Villeneuve, and left the chicane third.

Russell was immediately boxed, with Sainz’s Williams and Leclerc following suit, all taking Hards as degredation was already beginning to show.

Piastri pitted on Lap 13, and the McLaren crew did not produce the cleanest stop of all-time, with Alonso also coming in from fourth.

Verstappen now enjoyed a 10 second lead from Norris, with Albon and Hadjar third and four, the quartet all yet to stop.

Antonelli and Hamilton were now fifth and sixth, the highest-placed hard runners. Yuki Tsunoda, starting in the pitlane, was now up to 10th on Hards, and was instructed to hold-up Piastri, who was directly behind him.

However, after letting Verstappen muscle past him at the start, the Australian was in no mood to back down, sending it past Tsunoda on the outside into Tamburello, a crucial move.

Piastri quickly dealt with Bearman’s Haas, and set about Colapinto’s eigth place, the Alpine being easy prey for him at the start of Lap 20.

Just behind, Tsunoda was now falling into Leclerc’s clutches, as Hamilton’s threat to Antonelli was looking to be losing its edge.

Leclerc opened-up the DRS into Tamburello and took Tsunoda for 11th. At the front, Verstappen continued to maintain a lead of just under 10 seconds, as Norris was instructed to make the most of the clear air and “go long” by the team.

Russell, who complained of a feeling of imbalance prior to the start of the race, complained of “struggling” in a straight line, as he looked to pick off Tsunoda.

The Mercedes was able to do just that soon after, taking the Red Bull at Turn 2, a move that Piastri then replicated on Hamilton at the start of Lap 26.

Antonelli was his next victim at the same place one lap later, the McLaren now the highest-placed car to have pitted, and was now just over a second off Hadjar in fourth, but Verstappen was now a whole half-a-minute up the road.

Piastri made it three overtakes in three laps with at the same corner, this time on the inside, taking Hadjar, as McLaren mechanics prepared themselves for Norris’ impending arrival.

Verstappen puts the race in his pocket via VSC

A swift pit would see Norris rejoin in seventh, as the Virtual Safety Car was brought out as Esteban Ocon’s Haas pulled-up on the grass on the exit of Tosa hairpin.

Verstappen could afford to rub his hands with glee as he pitted, endabling him to stay in-front and rejoin with a 20 second lead.

A flurry of pit stops now ensued, with Piastri taking his second, dropping to fourth behind Albon’s Williams.

With the green flag waving, racing could resume and a frustrated Leclerc was quickly swarming all over the back of Alonso’s Aston Martin.

Norris set the fastest lap on Lap 32 as Antonelli looked racey on Hadjar’s fifth place. The sister Mercedes of Russell, now 12th, quickly dealt with Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber at Turn 2.

Sainz took Tsunoda for 13th, the pair making contact as the Japanese kept his foot in, the Williams driver complaining over radio about his conduct in the corner, but the stewards deemed that no further action was required.

Hamilton finally took Antonelli for sixth at Tamburello on Lap 34, as Russell took Lance Stroll for 10th as Alonso tried to give his team-mate DRS.

Hamilton was now firmly into the swing of things, sweeping past Hadjar for fifth into the first chicane, easily the favourite overtaking spot of the afternoon.

With Hamilton free, Antonelli was now enduring a similar dread of seeing a scarlet red car in his mirrors, this time Leclerc’s, but it would not be for long, as the Monegasque took seventh place at Tamburello on Lap 38.

Aston’s lack of race pace was beginning to tell as Alonso started to be drawn in by Hulkenberg, who breezed his Sauber past the Spaniard at Turn 2 for 10th.

Piastri got himself past Albon for third on Lap 40, but was now 12 seconds behind his team-mate, as Verstappen still had a comfortable buffer of over 18 seconds.

With less than 20 laps to go, the Ferraris were now line astern in fifth and sixth. Would Leclerc ask to be allowed to pass his team-mate to have a crack at Albon’s fourth place?

However, it was all academic for Antonelli, who pulled off at the same spot Ocon did, but this time, it would be a full Safety Car.

Would the Safety Car ensure an exciting finish?

Verstappen took his free pit stop, followed by Norris, who just about made it back on track ahead of Albon.

Any possibility of Ferrari double-stacking was eradicated when Leclerc was instructed there was “no tyre” for him to make it until the end of the race, the current Hards, in their opinion, better than the the C6 Soft compound with still well over 10 laps to go.

Albon pitted but Piastri did not. Well aware of this, Norris hinted that maybe he was best-placed to race Verstappen, the McLaren pit wall now having to think carefully between its drivers – and their own title chances – as well as the Constructors’ Championship.

Would ‘Papaya Rules’ be forgotten?

Racing resumed with nine laps to go and immediately Leclerc looked keen to grab a podium place, but Norris shut the door at Turn 2.

By the end of the lap, Norris was able to pull free as Albon was now putting Leclerc under pressure, as Tsunoda stole 10th off Hulkenberg.

Verstappen was now nearly three seconds ahead as Norris looked unable to prove there was enough to order Piastri to let him through, as Hamilton took sixth off his old team-mate Russell.

Norris was now six tenths behind Piastri but inched ever closer, and at the start of Lap 58, had enough DRS to take Piastri at Tamburello.

For Norris, it must have been a satisfying and morale-boosting moment, successfully going wheel-to-wheel with his team-mate, but with only five laps to go, catching Verstappen looked to be too tall an order.

Leclerc’s impressive afternoon was under threat of ending on a flatter note as Albon’s Williams sought to take fourth.

On Lap 60, Albon went for it at Tamburello, but Leclerc held firm and avoiding contact, Albon took to the gravel, leaving him now down to sixth as Hamilton capitalised.

He would benefit further a lap later, using his DRS to sweep by Leclerc for fourth, and set about trying to take Piastri’s third place.

Verstappen completes Imola victory

Albon was back on Leclerc’s tail and tried again but the Ferrari was now as wide as it had ever been all race, but the thrilling showdown was thwarted by the instruction to Leclerc to give the place back, the team concluding Albon had enough to take the place.

Leclerc, furious, asked “what the f**k did I do wrong?!”

It was all so far away from Verstappen, who cruised to victory, followed by Norris six seconds behind. Piastri had to settle for third, with Hamilton surely able to take some positives with an impressive fourth.

Albon would be fifth from Leclerc, as Russell, Sainz, Hadjar and Tsunoda rounded out the top 10.

READ MORE – F1 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix – Race Results