2025 F1: Verstappen defeats McLaren to win Imola GP

Max Verstappen secured his second win of the 2025 F1 season with a statement drive to victory at the Imola GP. The timing of the Virtual Safety Car (VSC) and Full Safety Car interruptions played a key role in determining the final results. While drivers like Verstappen, Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Isack Hadjar timed it just right, others like polesitter Oscar Piastri lost out.

Norris managed to slash Piastri’s championship lead, passing his teammate on lap 58/63 to secure second place.

1. Verstappen wins, 6.109 seconds ahead of Norris
2. Piastri’s championship lead over Norris is down to 13 points
3. Hamilton goes from P12 to P4

Verstappen wins Imola GP

Bold opening lap pass on Piastri sets stage for victory

Verstappen pulled off his race-winning move on the opening lap itself. The Red Bull driver outbraked Piastri and passed him around the outside of Turn 2. He then went on to build a gap at the front.

McLaren tried the undercut and pitted Piastri early on Lap 14, while Verstappen stayed out. This strategy backfired when Esteban Ocon stopped on Lap 29, triggering a VSC. This allowed those who hadn’t yet stopped, including Verstappen, to pit for fresh tyres without losing much time. By the time Verstappen rejoined the track, he held a lead of around 20 seconds over Norris.

The field bunched up when Kimi Antonelli stopped on track due to a throttle-control issue, bringing out the Safety Car on Lap 46. But Verstappen aced the restart and went on to win with an advantage of 6.109 seconds. “Once we got into the lead, I think we showed what we could do with the pace of the car, and I could push quite nicely,” said Verstappen.

“The race was a lot more promising than what I expected, which was really good for us, and the car felt a lot more stable. We have clearly made a step forward with the setup of the car.”

Norris beats Piastri to P2

Antonelli retirement causes late drama

Antonelli’s stoppage dealt another blow to Piastri. Norris, Alex Albon, Hamilton and Hadjar followed Verstappen and pitted during the Safety Car period, while Piastri stayed out. Taking full advantage of his fresh tyres, Norris passed his teammate for P2 on Lap 58/63.

Piastri had to settle for third place, nearly 6 seconds behind Norris. “When we made the call to pit early, the two-stop strategy seemed to make the most sense as the tyres didn’t have the pace, but we weren’t able to then maximise it after and were then unlucky with the VSC and Safety Car,” he explained.

“A few things to review, but we’ve got a solid chunk of points. We’ll debrief and then turn our attention to Monaco.”

Ferrari, Hamilton bounce back

Both Williams drivers finish in top 10

A disappointing qualifying session resulted in Hamilton starting from P12 on the grid. However, the Ferrari cars showed promising race pace, and Hamilton recovered to finish fourth.

Charles Leclerc and Albon battled for fifth place in the closing laps. Albon finally found a way past on the final lap, continuing Williams’ strong run. George Russell finished seventh for Mercedes, followed by Williams’ Carlos Sainz. Hadjar mirrored Verstappen’s strategy en route to an impressive P9 result. Yuki Tsunoda grabbed the final point after a strong recovery drive from the pit lane.

2025 F1 championship standings

Piastri’s championship lead has now been slashed to just 13 points over Norris. Verstappen, meanwhile, has gained ground and is now just nine points behind Norris.

Next up on the F1 calendar is the Monaco GP, where it will be mandatory for drivers to stop twice.

2025 Imola GP results

Also see:

F1 2025: Piastri leads McLaren 1-2 at Miami GP