ITALY: Max Verstappen had a commanding win at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, all thanks to his bold and brave move on the opening lap.
The four-time world champion overtook pole-sitter Oscar Piastri’s McLaren by going around the outside at the first chicane. After this moment, his dominating form continued throughout the race.
Highlights of the race
A safety car late in the race tightened up the drivers, with both McLaren drivers, Piastri and Norris, right behind Verstappen. The Red Bull driver handled the restart perfectly, pulling away with ease. Meanwhile, Norris, who had newer tyres than Piastri, spent a few laps battling before overtaking his teammate to secure second place.
Verstappen’s second win of the season ends Piastri’s lead over Norris in the championship down to 13 points and puts the Dutchman just nine points behind Norris. Lewis Hamilton, starting 12th on the grid for Ferrari, used a different strategy by beginning the race on hard tyres. He also took advantage of the two safety cars to climb up the field and finish fourth, overtaking teammate Charles Leclerc late in the race with fresher tyres.
McLaren will be reviewing their strategy after an early pit stop for Piastri, who was second behind Verstappen but starting to lose time. The early pit stop gave Verstappen a comfortable 10-second lead over Norris, who couldn’t catch the Red Bull, while Piastri had to fight his way through the field to regain his position.
A virtual safety car helped Verstappen even more and dashed Piastri’s hopes of finishing second. By then, Verstappen had already taken full control of the race.
With Verstappen winning the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, it marks Red Bull’s 400th race.
In a social media post, Max Verstappen shared: “Yes!!! Brilliant weekend 🙌 Incredibly proud of everyone @redbullracing, celebrating the 400th race of the team with this win 💪”
Netizens shared their excitement in the comments section and said: “As you said.. BRILLIANT!!!🙌,” “Simply the best! 👑🐐,” “Congratulations, Max! That overtake was superb! 😍,” and “An absolute legend. Simply lovely max 🦁.”
In another social media post, F1 shared a video of the exciting moment where Verstappen claimed his victory and declared: “‘Grande Max’ This was the moment Max Verstappen took his fourth Emilia Romagna Grand Prix victory! 👊.”
More netizens commented on the post and remarked: “THE BEST PILOT…. THE AUDIENCE GAVE HIM A STANDING OVATION 😭😭😭😭😭 I LOVE HIM TOO MUCH,” “Max just delivered the ultimate 400th race present 🎁 🔥🇳🇱. Well done to all the guys and gals at RBR 🔥,” and “Simply the best F1 driver ever, Max🔥🔥🔥.”