Verstappen edges out Norris in a thrilling Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix finale
IMOLA, Italy — Max Verstappen triumphantly returned to winning form at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, fending off a thrilling late surge from McLaren's Lando Norris. After a dominating performance from the pole position around the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Verstappen found himself facing intense pressure as the race climaxed.
The Red Bull ace initially enjoyed a comfortable drive, building a substantial lead following a flawless start. However, Norris's McLaren gradually began closing the gap in the latter stages of the race, setting up a nail-biting finish. Despite Norris's relentless pursuit, a small snap of oversteer and worn tyres hampered his effort, allowing Verstappen to secure victory by a narrow margin of just 0.725 seconds.
Charles Leclerc, who earlier appeared poised to challenge Norris for P2, ultimately secured the final podium spot, much to the delight of the home crowd at Ferrari's backyard. McLaren's Oscar Piastri delivered a commendable performance to clinch P4.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz contributed to the team's points tally with a solid fifth-place finish. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton crossed the line in a lonely sixth, with teammate George Russell finishing seventh, having switched to medium tyres late in the race to clinch the extra point for the fastest lap.
Sergio Perez salvaged P8 for Red Bull after a challenging qualifying session had him start P11. Lance Stroll brought in ninth for Aston Martin, and Yuki Tsunoda closed out the top ten with a dynamic drive in his RB.
The Haas team saw Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finish in 11th and 12th, respectively, despite earlier top-10 runs. Daniel Ricciardo, starting from P9, finished in 13th, with Alpine's Esteban Ocon in P14 and Kick Sauber's Zhou Guanyu in P15.
Pierre Gasly finished a distant 16th for Alpine, ahead of Williams' Logan Sargeant in 17th. Valtteri Bottas was the last classified finisher in 18th.
Fernando Alonso endured a challenging weekend, spending much of the race at the back before retiring his Aston Martin in the latter stages, placing him in P19. The only other retiree was Alex Albon, who was forced to retire his Williams earlier in the race.
Verstappen’s return to the top step of the podium in Imola sets the stage for more high-octane battles as the season progresses.
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