Verstappen shows amazing pace and beats both McLarens at Imola

Max Verstappen won the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola in dominant fashion, showing complete control throughout the race.

He took the lead early by overtaking Oscar Piastri at the start and never looked back, even after a late safety car threatened to shake things up.

Despite the interruption, Verstappen maintained his composure and pace to secure a clear victory.

MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS THE IMOLA GRAND PRIX

He pulled off the decisive overtake on Piastri on the opening lap and never looked back, phenomenal drive from him against the mighty McLarens. pic.twitter.com/GCsItw7HHs

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Lando Norris managed to overtake George Russell on lap 11 to move into third place and later made a decisive move on his teammate Piastri on lap 58 to finish second. The race strategy played a big role, especially after Esteban Ocon retired with an engine issue on lap 29. This incident triggered a Virtual Safety Car, allowing Verstappen, Norris, Alex Albon, Lewis Hamilton, and a few others to make their pit stops at the perfect time and gain a tactical advantage.

Oscar Piastri briefly moved into third place after overtaking Albon on lap 40. However, a second safety car period came on lap 46 due to Andrea Kimi Antonelli retiring from the race with technical problems. When the race resumed, Norris took advantage and passed Piastri for second place.

In the final laps, Albon attempted to overtake Charles Leclerc, but the Monegasque driver blocked him, forcing Albon off track. That opened the door for Lewis Hamilton to pass both Albon and Leclerc. Although Leclerc later received team orders to let Albon through, the Williams driver had already lost position to Hamilton, who finished ahead of both.