Max Verstappen’s win in F1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix reignites title race
Max Verstappen held off Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to win his fourth consecutive Emilia Romagna Grand Prix
If you thought Oscar Piastri would run away with the 2025 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship, Max Verstappen would like to have a word with you.
Or perhaps he will just let his driving do the talking.
The Red Bull driver stormed past Piastri on the opening lap of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix after the McLaren driver got off to a tremendous start off the line. Piastri held the lead heading into the first corner, but Verstappen roared around Piastri through the Tamburello chicane, making the overtake around the outside to slide into P1.
You can see Verstappen’s dramatic opening-lap overtake here:
WATCH THE RACE START
— Formula 1 (@F1) May 18, 2025
Absolute class from Max Verstappen #F1 #ImolaGP pic.twitter.com/rld4niA0lm
The Red Bull driver did not have it easy from there, as he needed to navigate a pair of Safety Car restarts, first when Esteban Ocon pulled off the racing line and into the grass on Lap 29, then later when Kimi Antonelli lost power on Lap 46. After Antonelli’s issue, both Verstappen and Lando Norris pulled into the pits for fresh tires, while Piastri remained on the track to try and pick up position.
Verstappen nailed the restart and drove away with his fourth consecutive win at Imola, in Red Bull’s 400th Grand Prix start, ahead of Norris, who overtook Piastri for P2. The Australian driver did enough to hold off Lewis Hamilton, who delivered a thunderous recovery drive to finish fourth after starting 12th.
The win pulled Verstappen to within 22 points of Piastri at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings, while Norris’ P2 pulled him to within just 13 points of his teammate.
Alexander Albon finished fifth on a strong day for Williams, as Carlos Sainz Jr. finished eighth. Charles Leclerc crossed the line in P6 ahead of George Russell in P7, and the former teammates of Isack Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda — now with Red Bull — rounded out the scoring.
Tsunoda was able to deliver an incredible recovery drive of his own, climbing into the points after a heavy crash in qualifying ended his day early on Saturday, and required a start from the pit lane.