Max Verstappen managed to fend off a fierce late push from Lando Norris to win the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, thereby extending his lead in this season’s campaign.
In what seemed like a comfortable race for Verstappen, who had built a 7.5-second lead with 20 laps to go, Norris mounted an impressive late charge, bringing the gap down to under a second and creating a nail-biting finish. The performance from the Miami GP winner shows we are far from seeing what McLaren has in store for us this season.
This victory marks Verstappen’s fifth in seven races this season, putting him back on track for a fourth consecutive drivers’ title, especially after losing to Norris in Miami two weeks earlier. With this win, Verstappen’s lead in the championship has grown to 48 points, while Charles Leclerc, who finished third, moved to second place in the standings, overtaking Sergio Perez.
Ferrari celebrated their first podium finish at Imola since 2006, thanks to Leclerc’s performance. Meanwhile, McLaren’s Oscar Piastri secured fourth place, besting Carlos Sainz in Ferrari’s other car.
Lewis Hamilton finished in sixth place, followed by George Russell. Russell, after making a late pit stop for new tires, handed his position to Hamilton and secured the fastest lap, earning Mercedes an additional point.
Sergio Perez, Verstappen’s teammate, had a challenging race, finishing eighth. Starting from 11th, Perez found it hard to advance due to the circuit’s limited overtaking opportunities. His finish contributed minimally to Red Bull’s constructors’ championship lead, which now stands at 56 points over Ferrari. McLaren trails in third, 114 points behind Red Bull.
Lance Stroll finished ninth, earning his first points since the Australian Grand Prix, while his Aston Martin teammate, Fernando Alonso, endured a tough race, finishing 19th.
Yuki Tsunoda, despite a strong qualifying performance that saw him start seventh, ended up taking the final point in 10th, maintaining his solid start to the season.
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