Peter Lyon
May 18, 2025
In an action-packed Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix that featured several superb overtakes, as well as Virtual Safety Car and genuine Safety Car phases, Red Bull’s Max Verstappen clinched an astonishing second victory of the season. Starting from P2, the Dutchman masterfully passed pole-sitter Oscar Piastri on the very first corner—the Tamburello chicane—to gain the lead from which he never looked back.
After stopping for the hard compound on Lap 14, Piastri joined several other drivers in making an early pit stop. However, the Australian’s decision did not pan out as Verstappen stayed out on track and increased his lead.
As many cars pondered over whether a one-stop or two-stop strategy was the right choice – with around half of the field remaining out on track field was in for a major reshuffled when a Virtual Safety Car was instituted on Lap 29 after Esteban Ocon pulled off onto the grass in his Haas machine.
This timely safety car allowed for several cars to box without losing much time – and this most crucially benefited Verstappen, who pitted before returning to the track with a significant lead of over 20s from McLaren’s Lando Norris in P2 who had previously stormed passed his Australian teammate to clinch second spot.
Then, to add more drama and last minute calculations for the team strategists, another Safety Car was called after Kimi Antonelli was forced to pulled off the track on Lap 46 due to a mechanical issue, a stop that allowed Verstappen to box again. Norris also pitted, while Piastri stayed out.
Verstappen executed his restart effortlessly, allowing the Dutchman to clinch a fourth straight win at Imola in Red Bull’s 400th Grand Prix start – with Norris finishing just 6 seconds in arrears with Piastri in P3 and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton pulling off a remarkable comeback to pick up 4th.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
McLaren’s Oscar Piastri–who has just won three straight races–may have shown superior pace to pip Verstappen at the wire to secure P1 in qualifying on Saturday, but ballsy world champion-level driving by the Dutchman to pinch and hold the race lead from the two McLarens proved that the 2025 season is still up for grabs. And to be honest, that’s how it should be.
