F1 – Verstappen Dominates Imola for Fourth Consecutive Victory

Max Verstappen continued his formidable form in the 2025 Formula 1 season, claiming a superb fourth consecutive victory at the Imola circuit. The Red Bull Racing driver made a decisive move at the start, brilliantly overtaking McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to seize the lead. Despite a mid-race Safety Car that closed the gap, Verstappen controlled the race from the front to secure the win in what marked Red Bull’s historic 400th Grand Prix in Formula 1. The battle for the remaining podium positions saw Lando Norris capitalize on fresher tyres in the closing stages to pass his McLaren teammate Piastri, ultimately finishing in second place.

Brilliant Start Sets the Tone: As the lights went out to begin the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Oscar Piastri made a clean getaway from the front row, appearing poised to maintain his starting advantage. However, as the field approached the tight Tamburello chicane, the McLaren driver braked slightly earlier than Verstappen. The Dutchman, demonstrating exceptional car control and opportunism, held his line on the outside of the corner and executed a stunning move to squeeze past Piastri, snatching the lead of the race in the opening corners.

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Early Gap and Strategic Pit Stops: Behind the leading duo, Mercedes’ George Russell initially held third position, followed closely by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Further back, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc was applying pressure to Alpine’s Pierre Gasly on the edge of the top ten. Leclerc’s persistence paid off when Gasly ran wide under braking, allowing the Ferrari driver to sweep through and move into the points-paying positions. At the front of the field, Verstappen began to establish a gap over Piastri, extending his lead to almost two seconds by lap ten. Norris, meanwhile, was putting significant pressure on Russell for third place, and on lap eleven, the McLaren driver made a decisive move, barging past Russell in the Villeneuve chicane to take third.

Undercut Attempt and Verstappen’s Staying Power: The strategic element of the race began to unfold with the first round of pit stops. Russell opted to shed his starting Medium tyres for the Hard compound, and Leclerc followed suit. When Williams’ Carlos Sainz also pitted, McLaren reacted by bringing Piastri in for an undercut attempt on lap fourteen. However, the Australian suffered a slow pit stop, rejoining the race down in twelfth position. Verstappen, in contrast, chose to remain on track, and by lap fifteen, he had built a comfortable ten-second lead over Norris, who also stayed out on his initial tyres. Piastri began a recovery drive, making his way back through the field and reaching eighth place by lap twenty-one. Despite his progress, he still faced a significant 33-second deficit to Verstappen, who appeared increasingly comfortable on his starting Medium compound tyres.

Virtual and Physical Safety Car Interventions: Norris finally made his pit stop for Hard tyres on lap twenty-nine. Just moments later, the complexion of the race changed when Haas’ Esteban Ocon was forced to pull over and stop his car at the side of the track shortly after the Tosa hairpin. The Virtual Safety Car (VSC) was immediately deployed, triggering a flurry of activity in the pit lane. Race leader Verstappen took the opportunity to switch to Hard tyres. When the race order settled after the VSC period, Verstappen maintained a significant 20-second lead over Norris, with Williams’ Alex Albon surprisingly holding third place. Piastri, who had made a second pit stop during the VSC, found himself in fourth position, ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli. However, the race was soon neutralized again. On lap forty-six, Antonelli’s car suddenly slowed, and like Ocon, he was forced to stop just after the Tosa corner. This time, the physical Safety Car was deployed, effectively erasing Verstappen’s substantial lead. The race leader opted to pit for another set of Hard tyres, and Norris mirrored his move. Piastri, however, stayed out on track, elevating him to second place ahead of his McLaren teammate. Leclerc also remained out, moving into fourth position, followed by Albon and Russell.

Verstappen Controls Restart and Holds On for Victory: The Safety Car peeled off the track at the end of lap fifty-three, setting up a tense final ten laps. Verstappen executed the restart perfectly, maintaining his lead into the first corner. Behind him, the two McLaren drivers engaged in a close battle for second place. Norris, benefiting from his fresher set of Hard tyres, made a decisive move to muscle his way past Piastri, securing the second step on the podium. Despite Norris’s late charge, Verstappen had built too large of a gap and, after sixty-three hard-fought laps, crossed the finish line to take his fourth consecutive victory at Imola and a memorable win for Red Bull Racing in their 400th Formula 1 Grand Prix.

Hamilton’s Late Charge and Points Finishers: Behind the podium finishers, Lewis Hamilton delivered a strong recovery drive in the closing stages. Capitalizing on his fresh tyres after the final Safety Car period, the Ferrari driver managed to pass both Albon and his own teammate Leclerc to secure fourth place and valuable championship points. Albon drove an impressive race to take fifth position, ahead of Leclerc, who ultimately paid the price for staying out on older tyres during the Safety Car. Russell finished in seventh place, followed by Sainz in eighth and Hadjar securing ninth. Yuki Tsunoda, who had started the race from the pit lane, drove a commendable race to finish in tenth place, claiming the final point.