Max Verstappen put on a dominant display to win the 2025 Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, giving Red Bull Racing a perfect way to celebrate their 400th Grand Prix start. Starting from second place, Verstappen passed polesitter Oscar Piastri at the first corner and never looked back.
Strategy and Safety Cars Shake Things Up
The race was filled with strategy changes and safety car periods. Many drivers, including Piastri, pitted early on Lap 14 for hard tyres. However, this didn’t pay off as hoped. Max Verstappen stayed out longer on his medium tyres and gained a big advantage when Esteban Ocon retired on Lap 29, triggering a Virtual Safety Car (VSC). This allowed Verstappen to pit and keep his lead.
A full Safety Car came out on Lap 46 when Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes stopped on track. Verstappen and Lando Norris both used the opportunity to switch to fresh tyres, but Piastri chose to stay out.
Norris Moves Up, Hamilton Fights Back
After the restart, Max Verstappen held onto the lead. Norris overtook Piastri to take second place, while Piastri managed to defend third from a hard-charging Lewis Hamilton. Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, made a strong recovery from 12th on the grid to finish fourth.
Albon Shines, Rookie Hadjar Scores Again
Williams’ Alexander Albon impressed with a solid fifth-place finish after battling Charles Leclerc, who ended up sixth for Ferrari. George Russell was Mercedes’ only finisher in seventh, following Antonelli’s retirement. Carlos Sainz earned points for Williams with eighth.
Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar continued to impress by finishing ninth. Yuki Tsunoda, despite starting from the pit lane, grabbed the final point in tenth.
Close But No Points for Alonso
Fernando Alonso just missed the points, finishing 11th. Nico Hülkenberg came 12th, followed by Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson, and Lance Stroll. Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, and Gabriel Bortoleto also finished, while Esteban Ocon and Kimi Antonelli were the only retirees.
Verstappen Dominates at Imola Again
This win marks Max Verstappen fourth straight victory at Imola, showing just how strong he is at this track.
Championship Standings
Despite Verstappen’s win, Oscar Piastri still leads the drivers’ championship with 146 points. Lando Norris is close behind with 133, while Verstappen moves up to 124 points.
