Max Verstappen seized control in Imola as McLaren’s inner tension flared, handing Red Bull a strategic masterclass and dominant race win.
It’s race day at Imola, where the outcome of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix will unfold over 63 laps and crown the winner of what is already the seventh round of the 2025 F1 season.
Oscar Piastri secured pole position alongside Max Verstappen, and the two drivers—who have already clashed on track in Jeddah and Miami, with the McLaren driver coming out on top both times—will once again line up side by side.
Behind them, George Russell continues to live up to his reputation as “Mr. Consistency” and qualified third ahead of Lando Norris, who admitted to having been “slapped” by Piastri’s pace. Fernando Alonso recorded his best qualifying performance of the year in fifth, ahead of the Williams pair of Carlos Sainz and Alex Albon.
Lance Stroll completed a strong result for Aston Martin by qualifying eighth, just ahead of Frenchmen Isack Hadjar and Pierre Gasly. It was a disastrous session for Ferrari, with both cars knocked out in Q2—Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton will share the sixth row.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli struggled to find rhythm all weekend and will start 13th, alongside Gabriel Bortoleto. Liam Lawson is 15th ahead of Franco Colapinto, who crashed and received a one-place penalty for jumping the gun in qualifying. Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Oliver Bearman, and Yuki Tsunoda complete the grid.
14:30 – Yuki Tsunoda won’t start from the grid as his car suffered major damage. Red Bull had to replace the survival cell, which is not the same specification as the previous one.
14:31 – Williams had a fuel leak scare on Albon’s car, but it turns out to be fully operational, and the Thai driver is on his way to the grid.
14:39 – Track temperature is 44°C, which will make using soft tyres very tricky.
14:48 – This is a milestone event: Red Bull Racing’s 400th race and Sauber’s 600th.
14:50 – McLaren CEO Zak Brown believes the team “has the pace for a one-two” but says strategy will be crucial: “I’m glad I’m not the one making the tyre calls!”
14:54 – It’s sunny at Imola, though there’s still a 20% chance of rain according to the FIA.
14:57 – Hamilton, Antonelli, Hülkenberg, Bearman, and Tsunoda are starting on hard tyres; the rest of the grid are on mediums. No one has opted for the C6 softs.
Formation Lap – Colapinto thanks his mechanics “for the hard work last night to get the car fixed.”
Start – Excellent start from Piastri and Russell, who gets alongside Verstappen! Norris is boxed in behind the Red Bull, but Verstappen nails the brakes into Tamburello, sweeps around Russell and sets off after Piastri!
Lap 1 – Verstappen leads, followed by Piastri, Russell, Norris, and Alonso. The top 8 is unchanged. Hadjar loses two places to Gasly and Leclerc. Hamilton drops behind Antonelli.
Lap 2 – Verstappen builds a 1.4s lead over Piastri. Ocon pits and switches to hard tyres.
Lap 3 – Verstappen clocks the fastest lap with a 1:21.131. A two-stop strategy looks likely. Gasly botches a move on Leclerc and loses five places. Leclerc and Hadjar are now ninth and tenth. Gasly also drops behind Antonelli, Hamilton, and Bortoleto.
Lap 4 – Verstappen continues to lead, now by 1.5s. Piastri has 1.6s on Russell, who is under pressure from Norris.
Lap 5 – Williams and Aston Martin are staying with the lead group. Alonso, Sainz, Albon, and Stroll occupy fifth to eighth and are in a DRS train behind Russell and Norris.
Lap 6 – Piastri sets the fastest lap in 1:21.096, staying within 1.5s of Verstappen.
Lap 7 – Verstappen responds with a 1:20.977, increasing his lead to 1.8s. Russell is 2.2s back and still holding up the pack. Leclerc reports the medium tyres are “performing better than expected.”
Lap 8 – The gap between the top two stabilizes. Norris can’t pass Russell. Alonso is now 1.6s behind the McLaren, with Sainz pressuring him.
Lap 9 – The gap remains 1.6s between Verstappen and Piastri. Russell is 3.4s behind and lapping half a second slower. Norris attacks but still can’t get through.
Lap 10 – The front two pull away. Norris attempts a pass but runs onto the grass. Russell worries his strategy might not work. Gasly pits after nine laps and switches to hards.
Lap 11 – Russell vs Norris is allowing Aston Martin and Williams to rejoin the fight for the podium. Leclerc and Lawson pit for hards. Norris finally gets past Russell with a brilliant move at Variante Villeneuve! Leclerc sets the best second sector—undercut is proving powerful!
Lap 12 – 2.6s between the leaders. Russell and Sainz pit, and Leclerc jumps them—undercut confirmed effective!
Lap 13 – Verstappen leads by 2.8s, and Leclerc sets the fastest lap in 1:20.505. Alonso pits, rejoining behind Leclerc and Russell. His brakes were on fire leaving the pits!
Lap 14 – Piastri pits. McLaren attempts the undercut, but a slow stop (3.6s) hurts the effort.
Lap 15 – Verstappen stays out. He has a 10s lead over Norris and 15s over Albon. Stroll pits, leaving Hadjar fourth. Antonelli, Hamilton, and Hülkenberg (all on hards) follow. Stroll rejoins 17th behind Gasly.
Lap 16 – McLaren tells Norris that Leclerc undercut them; they try to extend his stint hoping the tyres come back.
Lap 17 – Norris gains half a second on Verstappen. Piastri is behind Tsunoda, told to “do his best to hold him up.” The Aussie is matching the leaders’ pace.
Lap 18 – Piastri passes Tsunoda for tenth. He lost over a second and now has Bearman ahead.
Lap 19 – Verstappen holds a 9s lead over Norris. Albon trails by 8s, Hadjar by 4.5s. Antonelli and Hamilton are closing in on the Frenchman.
Lap 20 – Norris can’t close the gap to Verstappen. Piastri is stuck in traffic despite passing Bearman and Colapinto. One-stop may be the right call for the leaders.
Lap 21 – Leclerc passes Tsunoda for 11th. Williams tells Sainz that Albon is lapping at 1:21.8, and Sainz doubts his strategy.
Lap 22 – Hamilton questions Ferrari’s strategy. “Plan C” is still an option.
Lap 23 – Russell reports a possible rear-end failure: “Feels like the trackrod is broken—car’s unstable even on the straights.” Leclerc passes Bearman for tenth.
Lap 24 – Norris is 9s behind Verstappen. Piastri is seventh after passing Hülkenberg, but 32s off the lead.
Lap 25 – Russell takes 11th from Tsunoda.
Lap 26 – Leaders maintain pace with clear air. Piastri passes Hamilton.
Lap 27 – Piastri still trails by 32s. Leclerc takes eighth from Hülkenberg. Piastri then clears Antonelli.
Lap 28 – Albon warns his team not to “be stupid,” but his engineer says he’s pulling away. Piastri overtakes Hadjar for fourth. Norris pits!
Lap 29 – Norris rejoins seventh after a solid stop. Ocon is stopped on track—Virtual Safety Car deployed! Verstappen and Albon pit!
Lap 30 – Verstappen exits well ahead—21s clear of Piastri. Norris is third. Albon reemerges in fourth. Leclerc is furious after a poorly timed stop: “Unbelievable! Every time the Virtual Safety Car screws me!”
Lap 31 – Piastri also pits, rejoining fourth with fresh tyres but poor timing.
Lap 32 – Verstappen leads Norris by 19s, Albon by 25s. Piastri is 33s back in fourth. Leclerc trails Hamilton, with Alonso and Stroll behind.
Lap 33–34 – Verstappen sets fastest lap (1:20.330), then Norris beats it (1:19.816). Piastri cuts the gap to Albon.
Lap 35 – Hamilton sets a 1:19.473. Sainz and Tsunoda clash, but no penalty is issued. Russell takes 10th from Stroll.
Lap 36–38 – Piastri closes on Albon. Leclerc passes Antonelli, Aston Martins drop. Hamilton moves to fifth.
Lap 39–40 – Piastri overtakes Albon. Aston Martin’s woes worsen as Alonso and Stroll drop out of the points.
Lap 41–44 – Piastri sets the pace again, but Verstappen and Norris match it. Leclerc holds fourth, Ferrari face internal team tension. Alonso is livid: “It’s torture. A disaster. I’m the unluckiest driver in this damn world!”
Lap 45–47 – Russell, Sainz in the points. Antonelli stops on track—full Safety Car deployed!
Lap 48–50 – Verstappen and Norris pit. Piastri takes second. Ferrari keeps Leclerc out despite tyre doubts. McLaren in a bind—Norris wants to pass Piastri.
Lap 51–53 – Restart approaching. Norris complains: “Piastri’s tyres are gone. I have to pass him now.”
Lap 54–56 – Restart: Verstappen pulls away. Albon pressures Leclerc. Incident between Norris and Albon is reviewed—no penalty. Verstappen flies.
Lap 57–60 – Norris finally passes Piastri but is too far to catch Verstappen. Hamilton overtakes Leclerc and Albon for fourth. Leclerc under investigation but avoids penalty after giving position back.
Lap 61–63 – Hamilton chases Piastri but can’t reach the podium. Verstappen wins with flawless strategy and tyre management. Norris and Piastri complete the podium.
Hamilton finishes fourth, followed by Albon and Leclerc (no penalty). Russell is seventh, then Sainz, Hadjar, and Tsunoda. Alonso ends 11th, outside the points despite starting fifth.
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Gap | Stop |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21 | 63 Laps- 1h31m33.199s | 2 |
| 02 | Lando Norris | McLaren Mercedes MCL39 | +6.109 | 2 |
| 03 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren Mercedes MCL39 | +12.956 | 2 |
| 04 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari SF-25 | +14.356 | 2 |
| 05 | Alex Albon | Williams Mercedes FW47 | +17.945 | 2 |
| 06 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari SF-25 | +20.774 | 2 |
| 07 | George Russell | Mercedes W16 | +22.034 | 2 |
| 08 | Carlos Sainz | Williams Mercedes FW47 | +22.898 | 2 |
| 09 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02 | +23.586 | 2 |
| 10 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull Honda RBPT RB21 | +26.446 | 1 |
| 11 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25 | +27.250 | 2 |
| 12 | Nico Hülkenberg | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45 | +30.296 | 1 |
| 13 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine Renault A525 | +31.424 | 2 |
| 14 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls Honda RBPT VCARB 02 | +32.511 | 2 |
| 15 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin Mercedes AMR25 | +32.993 | 2 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine Renault A525 | +33.411 | 2 |
| 17 | Oliver Bearman | Haas Ferrari VF-25 | +33.808 | 2 |
| 18 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Stake F1 Kick Sauber C45 | +38.572 | 3 |
| 19 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes W16 | DNF | 1 |
| 20 | Esteban Ocon | Haas Ferrari VF-25 | DNF | 1 |
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