Imola GP: Max wins crazy race
Max Verstappen won a crash-packed and red-flagged Emila Romagna Grand Prix at Imola for Red Bull on Sunday.
Max Verstappen claimed an impressive victory in an extraordinarily dramatic Imola GP. Lewis Hamilton recovered to second after a rare mistake while chasing the Red Bull. Valtteri Bottas and George Russell were involved in a huge collision.
Mad Max at Imola
On a chaotic and dramatic afternoon which began in challenging mixed weather conditions, Verstappen claimed the lead at the start from third on the grid when he overtook Hamilton as the two title rivals made contact into Turn Two.
Verstappen came under pressure from his Mercedes rival around the pit stops. However Hamilton blew his opportunity for the victory when he slithered into the gravel while lapping Williams’ George Russell.
Nasty crash between Bottas and Russell
Russell was soon then involved in a nasty-looking collision with the other Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas. This put both drivers out of the race and saw the race red-flagged due to the scattered cars and debris.
The drivers blamed each other for the crash.
Hamilton had pitted for a new front wing and dropped into ninth place, a lap down.
However, with lapped runners able to rejoin the lead lap for the restart, Lewis drove stirringly and error-free from there with a succession of passing moves. Finally he took second place from McLaren’s impressive Lando Norris with two laps to go.
“On my side it was not the greatest day, it’s the first time I’ve made a mistake in a long time. But I’m grateful I was able to bring the car home today,” said Hamilton.He also claimed the fastest lap bonus to stay one point ahead of Verstappen in the championship after two rounds.
Redemption for Lando
But Norris, so dejected after a track-limits error in qualifying had left him seventh, still claimed the final podium place ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for just the British youngster’s second top-three finish in F1.
Ferrari boys getting some good points in Imola Italy
Leclerc headed Ferrari team-mate Carlos Sainz in fourth and fifth respectively, with Daniel Ricciardo sixth in the second McLaren and Lance Stroll seventh for Aston Martin.
Red Bull’s Sergio Perez had a race to forget from the first front-row start of his career, finishing 12th. Overtaken by both Verstappen and Leclerc at the start, he picked up a 10-second penalty for overtaking under the early Safety Car for a crash for Nicholas Latifi and then spun when back in fourth at the restart.
Imola GP final race classification with Max as the winner
