To add another impressive stat to his already rich record book, Max Verstappen won the Imola GP for the fourth time in a row. Behind him came Norris and Piastri, with the former kissed by luck. Hamilton finished in fourth place, ahead of a great Alexander Albon and Charles Leclerc, who was penalized due to strategy. Rounding out the top 10 were Russell, Sainz, Hadjar, and Tsunoda. Below is the summary.
The Summary
At the lights out, Max Verstappen was a bit sluggish and risked being overtaken even by George Russell, but the Dutchman kept his foot down at Tamburello, delivering a masterstroke against his rival and thus taking the lead. Behind, Lewis Hamilton lost a position to Kimi Antonelli, while Charles Leclerc gained one over Isack Hadjar. On lap 11, Lando Norris managed to pass Russell for third place, while Leclerc, stuck like the rest of the top 10 in a DRS train, pitted to attempt an undercut. The move was very effective, so much so that it forced the entire group ahead to stop, but by then the Monegasque had gained ground over George Russell, Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso, who pitted after him. On lap 14, Oscar Piastri also pitted. Car numbers 16 and 81 then made an incredible comeback, overtaking one car after another.
On lap 29, Esteban Ocon’s car failed, forcing the driver to stop in an unfavorable spot. Race control opted for a Virtual Safety Car, which benefited Max Verstappen, Alex Albon, Isack Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and Lewis Hamilton, who had not yet pitted. Norris was also helped, as he had stopped just moments earlier. Leclerc and Piastri, however, found themselves in more trouble, needing to make another pit stop to avoid running with overly worn tyres. At the restart, the top 10 was Verstappen, Norris, Albon, Piastri, Hadjar, Antonelli, Hamilton, Alonso, Leclerc, and Stroll.
On lap 43, another yellow flag came out because the local hero, Kimi Antonelli, retired due to a fault on his car. Race control called a Safety Car, giving Verstappen, Norris, Lewis Hamilton, Albon, Hadjar, and the two Aston Martins a free pit stop; Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri did not stop as they had no fresh tyres left. The Safety Car, however, stayed out for a long time, until lap 53, helping them somewhat. At the restart, Norris built a move on Oscar Piastri to take second place, while Charles Leclerc held off Albon. On lap 61, the Thai driver attempted a pass on car number 16 but ended up in the gravel; Hamilton took advantage, passing both the Williams and then his teammate. A podium was within reach, but he could do nothing against Piastri. Charles Leclerc was then instructed to give the position back to Albon, as he had forced him off at Tamburello, and his pace wasn’t enough to recover it anymore.
Leave a Reply