Verstappen takes Imola F1 win, Piastri's lead cut

Max Verstappen pulled off a stunning Turn 1 move to take the lead and eventually win the 2025 Formula 1 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix - as two interruptions punctuated the race at Imola.

After the lights went out, under pressure from George Russell, poleman Oscar Piastri allowed Verstappen to outbrake him and pass him around the outside of Turn 2 to take the lead by the exit of Tamburello.

Perhaps it was a tame concession of the lead from Piastri - but Verstappen’s move was nothing short of brilliant. This was a brave, clean move through a narrow, unforgiving corner - something seldom-seen in this era of F1.

It was just one of a trio of defining moments at what could be Imola’s final grand prix for the foreseeable future.

VSC plays into Verstappen's hands

Were it not for the VSC and safety car interventions, this race would have been defined by one-stop/two-stop dilemma.

Charles Leclerc was one of the first to swap his C5s for C4s, having done so on lap 10. That stop allowed him to undercut the likes of Russell and Carlos Sainz, the former having just lost a place to Norris before deciding to pit early.

After losing the lead on lap one, Piastri was under two seconds behind Verstappen but decided to try the undercut, swapping his C5s for C4s on lap 14 - and hindered by a slow front-right tyre change.

Verstappen didn’t bite, and Lando Norris also stayed out. Alex Albon, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and Lewis Hamilton would also follow suit and attempt a one-stop race.

Unable to eat into Verstappen’s 9.5s lead, Norris pitted from mediums to hards on lap 29 - just before Haas’s Esteban Ocon stopped on track to bring out the virtual safety car.

Verstappen took that chance for a first pitstop along with Albon, Hadjar, Antonelli and Hamilton, while numerous others came in for their second stops.

Leclerc, who had taken his first stop early, cursed the emergence of the VSC that had given the one-stoppers a massive advantage. Neither Aston Martin would take the chance to pit, with Fernando Alonso soon cursing his luck as he tumbled out of the top 10.

“I’m the unluckiest driver in the f***** world,” lamented Alonso as his two-stop strategy crumbled.

For Hamilton, the VSC stop proved a catalyst for his temperamental Ferrari. The seven-time champion found stellar pace on medium tyres and began to climb through the top 10, with the highlight being a lap 34 pass on Antonelli through Tamburello.

Much of the above would prove academic when Antonelli’s Mercedes ground to a halt on lap 46.

Antonelli stoppage sparks late drama

Verstappen seemed destined to win with a huge margin - but Antonelli’s throttle control issue brought out the safety car.

Verstappen, Norris, Albon, Hamilton and Hadjar pitted for newer C4s while the rest stayed out on worn C4s and C5s.

As the safety car circled the circuit, Norris lobbied McLaren to look at Piastri’s worn hard tyres as he made the case for a position swap on the restart.

That restart came on lap 54 of 63, and Verstappen led away. Piastri would lead Norris until lap 58, when the Briton passed the Australian through Tamburello - with what looked like a small bump of wheels on the way through - for second place.

Verstappen would go on to beat Norris by just under seven seconds while Piastri was another six seconds off in third place by the chequered flag.

Hamilton took fourth place from 12th on the grid after late drama between team-mate Leclerc and Williams driver Albon, who went through the gravel in an attempt to take P4 off Leclerc on lap 60 - letting Hamilton through.

Leclerc was then told to give fifth place to Albon and avoid a potential penalty. We were treated to one more rant over the Ferrari radio as Leclerc questioned: “That’s how racing is now?!”.

Russell complained of rear-end instability after his first pitstop and ended up hanging on to seventh ahead of Williams’s Sainz.

Isack Hadjar drove another solid race for Racing Bulls, mirroring Verstappen’s strategy, and finishing ninth.

The last point went to Yuki Tsunoda, who, on his way from the pitlane to 10th, briefly banged wheels with Sainz and attempted to hold up Piastri.

The upgraded Aston Martins missed out on points with Alonso 11th and Lance Stroll 15th, neither driver in sync with the safety car periods.

Sauber's Nico Hulkenberg finished 12th - pitting just once during the midrace VSC - to finish ahead of Alpine's Pierre Gasly and Racing Bull's Liam Lawson.

That left rookies Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, and Gabriel Bortoleto as the final finishers for Alpine, Haas and Sauber respectively.

Results

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
2 Lando Norris (McLaren)
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
5 Alex Albon (Williams)
6 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
7 George Russell (Mercedes)
8 Carlos Sainz (Williams)
9 Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls)
10 Yuki Tsunoda (Red Bull)
11 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
12 Nico Hulkenberg (Sauber)
13 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
14 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
15 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
16 Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
17 Ollie Bearman (Haas)
18 Gabriel Bortoleto (Sauber)
DNF Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
DNF Esteban Ocon (Haas)