Imola GP : Max wins narrowly

Max once again comes out on top at Imola, albeit with a very narrow margin. Lando Norris was right there to get the win. Charles finished P3 in home race for Ferrari.

Narrow win for Max at Imola

Like the last race in Miami, Max was not 100% comfortable with the car. Still he eked out the max from his car and put it on the pole. Oscar Piastri was just 0.074 seconds behind. Had it not been for a tow from Nico Hulkenburg, it would have been difficult to get the Pole. Even in the race it was not that Max just ran off in the distant as the race started. While he was in a comfortable position when on Mediums, things were very different when on Hards. In fact Lando Norris was very much catching up Max Verstappen. While it is very difficult to overtake at Imola, things would have changed if only for a few more laps. Red Bull is not the dominant car it once was. It is only through the sheer talent of Max Verstappen that they are pulling ahead. Red Bull needs to get some upgrades soon if they want to maintain their dominant position.

It was a weekend to forget for team-mate Sergio Perez. He could not even get into Q3 of qualifying and finished a lowly P8. This is in sharp contrast to Max who got the Pole and the race win. Checo needs to work hard to ensure his seat for the next season.

McLaren on the front foot at Imola

The win in Miami doesn’t seem to be a one-off event. The upgrades have seriously worked well for the Papaya team. Oscar was very impressive with his P2 position but was given a 3 place grid penalty for infringement. He still managed a decent P4. More impressive was Lando who started P3 and was very close to Max throughout the race. He made Max work hard for the win. If only a few more laps then things would have been very different. McLaren should be pumped up for the coming races. It is a long season and they might even challenge for a few more wins in the coming races.

Podium at home race for Ferrari

Charles LeClerc scored P3, first podium for Ferrari at Imola since 2003. Ferrari got the upgrades here and were poised to challenge the Red Bulls. However the challenge soon fell apart in the Qualifying and then in the Race. While their pace was good, it was not match to Lando and Max. Carlos too finished a respectable P5 but Ferrari need to work hard to challenge Red Bull and fend-off the McLaren threat.

George Russell and Lewis Hamilton did a decent job with their machinery to finish P7 and P6 respectively. Lance Stroll finished P9 while Alonso had a weekend to forget. Yuki Tsunoda would be happy to get the final point as Nice Hulkenburg just missed out with a P11 finish.

Imola Top 10 : Max on top