Max Verstappen ruined McLaren’s hopes for the weekend, winning the F1 Imola GP from Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
The 2025 Imola Grand Prix promised interesting results, with teams up and down the grid qualifying out of order. Notably, both Ferraris missing out on Q2, while both Aston’s and William’s drivers made it into the top 10.
With the difficulty of overtaking around the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola posed the perfect chance for teams like Aston Martin and Williams to leave Italy with a good haul of points.
However, strategy and tyre management will be key. This weekend has seen the introductions of the new C6 tyres — softer than previous compound used. The tyre that most assume will be used is the Medium tyre compound, which are last year’s soft tyres.
Most drivers were starting on the medium tyres, but Ferrari chose to split their drivers with Lewis Hamilton on the hard tyres — giving the prancing horses more options strategically.
The importance of degradation gives McLaren the edge in Imola with their ability to keep tyres cool superior to many on the grid.
Oscar Piastri started from pole, but with Max Verstappen alongside him. There was no telling what the outcome come turn one would be.
Lights out
Ollie Bearman pulled up to the back of the grid as the grid was raring to go at Imola. The five lights lit and the 19 drivers on the grid barrelled down to turn one.
Oscar Piastri had a perfect start, but into tamburello Max Verstappen broke late and moved past the Australian, taking the lead from the McLaren and disappearing off into the distance.
Further down the order, Charles Leclerc made a move on Isack Hadjar’s Racing Bull, moving into tenth.
Esteban Ocon pulled into the pits at the end of the first laps, putting on the hard tyres and getting back on track.
Lewis Hamilton lost places in the start, falling to 13th. His hard tyres giving him a slower start than those around him. However, he was on the back of Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes, but just unable to pass.
Charles Leclerc fought hard against Pierre Gasly, Gasly running off into the gravel and falling down to 14th, while the Monégasque’s Ferrari claimed another place. By lap 5, Leclerc was already closing in on the back of Lance Stroll, using DRS to get on the gearbox of the Aston Martin.
Unfortunately, with Stroll having DRS to Alex Albon ahead, Leclerc was unable to pass. Piastri had fallen out of DRS range of Max Verstappen, who found himself 1.7 seconds in the lead on Lap 8.
Lando Norris made a move alongside George Russell into the Villeneuve chicane, but he was just too far back to make the move stick, moving back into fourth. He made a move again on Lap 10, but pushing two wheels onto the gravel in the process.
First pits
As Norris and Russell fought for the final podium place, Fernando Alonso loomed half a second behind. George Russell and Lando Norris swapped back and forth in the winding corners of Imola. However, Norris came out ahead.
On Lap 11 and 12, Ferrari and Mercedes pulled in Leclerc and Russell, putting them on the hard tyres. It worked out perfectly for Charles Leclerc, who undercut George Russell, coming out ahead and then managing to get ahead of Fernando Alonso.
Piastri pitted just two laps later, coming out ahead of Charles Leclerc by just 4 seconds. Lando Norris and Max Verstappen both chose to stay out on the medium tyres. Despite the strategy looking like it was becoming a two stop race.
Lewis Hamilton on the hard tyres found himself still stuck behind the home here Kimi Antonelli. Oscar Piastri was making his way up to the back of Yuki Tsunoda, who was told to hold up Piastri for as long as possible. But on lap 18, Piastri moved past, critical for his hopes of a win.
Oscar Piastri wasted no time in them moving past Ollie Bearman and by lap 20, the championship leader was making an easy overtake on Franco Colapinto. On Lap 21, Charles Leclerc made the pass on Yuki Tsunoda, setting his sights on the Haas of Bearman.
With the Ferrari engine in the Haas, the overtake on Bearman should provide less stress to Leclerc than on the Red Bull.
Piastri in traffic
Oscar Piastri, who tried to make the undercut work, found himself stuck in traffic well into the first stint. With each lap that, Piastri was stuck passing others. Verstappen was able to extend the gap out front, with the tyre degradation stabilising on the Red Bull.
Charles Leclerc made it past Bearman, diving down the inside. Leclerc was up into ninth, where he was in the order before his pit stop. Leclerc’s teammate, Hamilton, was still unable to get passed Antonelli.
On lap 26, Piastri closed in on duo, sweeping past Hamilton and moving onto the Mercedes. On lap 27, Piastri moved into fifth ahead of Antonelli and faced the hardest challenge yet facing the Red Bull sister team or Racing Bulls.
George Russell was one of the biggest losers from the first round of pit stops, down in 11th, losing places to Leclerc but also getting stuck in the copious traffic.
On lap 29, Lando Norris came into the pit lane. A quick pit stop putting the McLaren between the two Ferrari’s in seventh. Just as Norris rejoined the track, a Virtual Safety Car was called due to Esteban Ocon’s Haas stuck on the grass.
Virtual Safety Car
The virtual safety car gave Max Verstappen the perfect opportunity to get out ahead with effectively a free pit stop. It left Charles Leclerc moaning on the radio over his poor luck when it comes to safety car timings after an impressive first half of the race.
It left Williams in an incredibly strong position, with Alex Albon sat in P3 as the light went green. Charles Leclerc made quick work of Lance Stroll, the frustration from his Ferrari palpable.
On lap 33, Max Verstappen put in the fastest lap with a 20-second lead that seemed unbeatable at the halfway point in the Grand Prix. On the same lap, Charles Leclerc made his way past the second Aston Martin and set his sights on the Mercedes of Antonelli ahead.
Hamilton finally got past Antonelli, no doubt happy to move past the Mercedes gearbox.
Ferrari’s turnaround
Lewis Hamilton caught Isack Hadjar moving into fifth as Leclerc closed in on Antonelli behind, the prancing horses weekend turning around.
Although Piastri’s lead seemed a distant memory, the fresh hard tyres had him putting in the fastest lap of the race so far. Closing the gap to Albon in third to just 1.8 seconds.
On lap 38, Leclerc moved around the outside of the Mercedes of Antonelli, following in his teammate’s moves as he looked down the road to Hadjar.
Lap 39 saw Piastri get into Albon’s DRS, with the gap rapidly closing. Williams held onto podium hopes, but by lap 40 they slipped away as Piastri returned to the podium places.
Charles Leclerc brought the gap to Hadjar down to just 0.7 seconds and closing as Ferrari made the best of a weekend that started miserably at home for the Maranello team. Leclerc darted down the inside of the Hadjar on lap 41. The Ferrari drivers sat in fifth and sixth.
Alpine called to switch the order, but fighting for 15th and 16th, the hope of points for the French team seemed fleeting.
Kimi Antonelli pulled to a stop at the side of the road, bringing out a safety car.
Safety car
Under the safety car, Max Verstappen, Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton all pulled into the pits in the front-runners. Alex Albon also pulled into the pits on the second time round under the safety car, dropping to fifth.
The running order after the safety car was Verstappen from Piastri, Norris, Leclerc and Albon. With just Piastri and Leclerc, the only drivers not to pit in the top five.
Norris reminded McLaren of the tyre deficit between him and his teammate. Vying for a chance at the race lead without having to push past Piastri before Verstappen.
Leclerc came on the radio, pessimistic of the chances he’ll face on the safety car restart with two drivers on fresh tyres behind him.
A tense restart
On lap 53, the safety car was ending, and the race would restart for the final ten laps. The safety car pulled into the pit lane with Piastri closely closing in on Norris as the green flag was waved.
Verstappen had a perfect restart as Norris immediately looking for an opening on his teammate but he was too far away. Leclerc looked down the inside of Norris despite the tyre off set. But the move didn’t stick, and the Ferrari driver quickly fell back into the jaws of the Williams.
DRS was enabled as Charles Leclerc desperately tried to hold onto the back of Norris and fighting off Albon’s Williams. Norris cut the gap to just 0.5 tenths to his teammate but he was fighting to try to pass. While Verstappen took full advantage of the papaya fighting behind him pulling out a 3.2 second gap.
Albon was nearing the gearbox of Charles Leclerc, with every lap the gap coming down by a tenth. Norris made it safely ahead of his teammate on lap 58, but with Verstappen 5 seconds down the round, the win was slipping away.
Charles Leclerc made another defensive move, keeping Alex Albon behind him, the gap down to just 0.4 tenths. Charles Leclerc kept his Ferrari on track as Alex Albon dove around the outside, dipping a tyre into the gravel. Albon fell back to sixth as Lewis Hamilton made the most of the situation.
Leclerc stayed ahead of Albon but fell back into the jaws of his teammate, who made it an easy pass for fourth. Alex Albon was quickly back onto the back of the Ferrari.
With just two laps left, Albon was getting frustrated, stuck behind the second Ferrari. Ferrari made the call that Albon was pushed off track and asked Leclerc to give back the position to Albon. The Monégasque complaining on the radio over the call.
Verstappen crossed the line with the win won for him in the first corner. Norris and Piastri finished the podium.
Full Results:
- Max Verstappen
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Lew Hamilton
- Alexander Albon
- Charles Leclerc
- George Russell
- Carlos Sainz
- Isack Hadjar
- Yuki Tsunoda
- Fernando Alonso
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Pierre Gasly
- Liam Lawson
- Lance Stroll
- Franco Colapinto
- Oliver Bearman
- Gabriel Bortoleto
- Kimi Antonelli [DNF]
- Esteban Ocon [DNF]
