F1 Imola GP: Max Verstappen Beats Lando Norris in Intense Showdown at Emilia Romagna Grand Prix

After losing to Norris in Miami two weeks ago, the defending champion secured his fifth F1 race win of the year at Imola. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished third place, rounding off the podium.

At Imola, Max Verstappen claimed his fifth win of the season, narrowly holding off a late charge from Lando Norris. Norris closed the gap to just one second on the final lap, making for a thrilling finish. Ultimately, Verstappen crossed the line with a slim 0.7-second lead over Norris. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc secured third place after a consistent performance. During the pit stops, Oscar Piastri overtook Carlos Sainz to finish fourth, while Lewis Hamilton passed George Russell after his second stop. Lance Stroll and Yuki Tsunoda completed the top ten, with Sergio Perez finishing in eighth after a disappointing weekend. Following his narrow victory in Imola, Max Verstappen has extended his lead in the F1 drivers’ standings. Charles Leclerc secured another top-three finish, moving ahead of Sergio Perez in the rankings. Also Read: F1: Wish Formula 1 Was Louder? New Engines from 2030 Could be Just That F1 Imola Grand Prix: Race Result As difficult as it is to overtake on the tight Imola track, this year’s addition of gravel traps at crucial corners—replacing asphalt run-off areas—made passing even more of a gamble. After making a mistake and sprinting across the grass, Charles Leclerc lost time and was unable to catch up to Lando Norris in the middle of the race. Following a penalty for blocking Kevin Magnussen’s Haas, Oscar Piastri—who had qualified second for McLaren—was demoted to fifth. While Carlos Sainz was in the pits, the Australian passed him and finished fourth. George Russell and seven-time winner Lewis Hamilton had a rough weekend for Mercedes, with Russell finishing eighth and Hamilton sixth. Pos Driver Team Time 1 Max Verstappen Red Bull 63 Laps 2 Lando Norris McLaren + 0.725s 3 Charles Leclerc Ferrari + 7.916s 4 Oscar Piastri McLaren + 14.132s 5 Carlos Sainz Ferrari + 22.325s 6 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes + 35.104s 7 George Russell Mercedes + 47.154s 8 Sergio Perez Red Bull + 54.776s 9 Lance Stroll Aston Martin  + 79.556s 10 Yuki Tsunoda VCARB + 1 Lap 11 Nico Hulkenberg Haas + 1 Lap 12 Kevin Magnussen Haas + 1 Lap 13 Daniel Ricciardo VCARB + 1 Lap 14 Esteban Ocon Alpine + 1 Lap 15 Zhou Guanyu Sauber + 1 Lap 16 Pierre Gasly Alpine + 1 Lap 17 Logan Sargeant Williams + 1 Lap 18 Valtteri Bottas Sauber + 1 Lap 19 Fernando Alonso Aston Martin + 1 Lap 20 Alex Albon Williams DNF Also Read: F1: Alex Albon Signs Multi-year Contract with Williams, Commits to Long-term Future Leclerc jumped up to second place, passing Perez, and Verstappen expanded his lead to 48 points with this victory.

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Imola Grand Prix