Max Verstappen commands Emilia-Romagna GP F1 victory

Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen has claimed his 65th Formula 1 victory at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix as he pipped both McLaren drivers. 

Feature image credit: Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Verstappen, despite starting the race in second, has taken the victory in Imola on the weekend of F1’s 75th anniversary celebrations. 

The Dutchman made the move for the lead at the track’s second corner, the first true braking zone on the circuit, as he outbroke the McLaren polesitter Oscar Piastri. 

With a swift move around the outside into turn two, giving him the inside line at turn three, the Dutchman headed the pack. 

From there, despite two safety car interventions—a Virtual Safety Car for Haas’ Esteban Ocon and a full safety car for Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who both stopped on the exit of Tosa—the Dutchman never looked threatened. 

As such, the four-time world champion took the chequered flag. Both McLarens completed the podium with Lando Norris finishing ahead of his teammate Piastri, in second and third, respectively. 

It also marks his fourth consecutive victory at the Imola circuit, Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which started in his first championship-winning season, back in 2021.

Embed from Getty Images

Piastri did hold onto second place at the final safety car intervention, but with fresher tyres, Norris soon took second from his teammate into Tamburello. 

In terms of the championship, Piastri remains the championship leader but both Norris and Verstappen have cut into his advantage. Norris remains in second with 133 points,  13 points off Piastri (146pts), whilst Verstappen’s victory keeps him third with 124 points. 

McLaren remain the championship leaders in the constructor’s championship with 279pts. However, Verstappen’s win versus George Russell’s seventh-place finish for Mercedes (147pts) means Red Bull inch closer to second, occupied by the Silver Arrows, with 131 points to their name.

Read more Formula 1 here:

• Yuki Tsunoda granted to start Emilia-Romagna GP
• Franco Colapinto gets one-place grid penalty for Emilia-Romagna GP
• Alpine’s Franco Colapinto risks ‘severe’ penalty for the Emilia-Romagna GP
• Oscar Piastri claims pole for F1 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix
• Piastri fastest as Hadjar crashes in Emilia-Romagna GP FP2
• Oscar Piastri fastest in Emilia-Romagna GP Practice 1

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Kamron Kent

Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.

I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.

Kamron Kent

Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.