Scrappy Max - Recap: Imola 2025
Max Verstappen stole the lead at the start with an absolute send around the outside and held out to win at Imola.
The European triple-header opened in thrilling fashion as drivers overtook and pit strategies varied up and down the grid.
Fight at the Front
Oscar qualified on pole with Max P2 and George Russell P3. Russell got the best start and looked prime to challenge down the inside early.
Oscar moved over to the inside lane to block and cover off George as Max fell to P3 briefly on the outside.
Max was determined to stay ahead of George and hung it around the outside, then saw he had a chance to get Oscar and just decided to stick his nose in. He took the lead and quickly built a gap.
Lando qualified P4, but overtook George Russell for P3 early on.
George put up a stout defense, but Lando got creative and threw it around the outside into the second chicane.
Oscar was unable to close the gap to Max early, and McLaren pitted the young championship leader to attempt an undercut, sending Lando into P2.
Then an Esteban Ocon technical issue triggered a Virtual Safety Car that turned the race on its head.
Max and Lando got cheap pit stops on Lap 28 and held position up front. Alex Albon, Isaac Hadjar, Kimi Antonelli, and Lewis Hamilton benefited as well.
Oscar and Charles Leclerc were the biggest losers as their attempted undercuts failed them down the grid. Oscar quickly overtook a few midfielders with his tyre offset, but found himself P3 behind Lando.
Kimi Antonelli’s engine failing triggered a full Safety Car that brought most cars into the pits and shook up the order again.
Max managed to keep the lead, but Lando dropped behind Oscar as the younger McLaren driver stayed out.
Lando had a tyre advantage to compete with, though, as did the drivers in P5, P7, and P9 behind him. The final restart was shaping up to be epic.
Max escaped well at the restart, and Oscar held P2 for a few laps before Lando caught him. The commentators thought McLaren might try some kind of team orders, but they stayed quiet and let the teammates race.
Lando sent it strong around the outside of Tamburello at his first opportunity and took P2.
It was a strong punch back in a fight where Piastri was starting to string together rounds on him. Lando got some safety car luck, but he also nailed two critical overtakes when he needed them.
Oscar retains a short lead but Max is 22 points back and Lando is just 13.
Down the Grid
Lewis Hamilton had his best grand prix at Ferrari, and at his first race in Italy with a P4 finish.
Lewis picked off Hadjar and Antonelli on consecutive laps with moves that looked like vintage Lewis, then capped it off with an overtake of former teammate George Russell.
Charles Leclerc finished P6 in a nice overall day for Ferrari.
Alexander Albon finished P5 to continue a breakout season for Williams.
Everyone thought Albon would be under pressure with Sainz as a teammate, but he seems to be showing his true form.
He put a nice overtake move on Leclerc late and Leclerc forced him off track with a tough defense. Charles gave the position back, but Lewis passed Albon in the process.
Albon was disappointed to miss out on P4 but is still shining at eighth in the driver’s while leading his team to fifth in the team standings. Sainz finished P9.
Russell finished P7 after looking like he might steal the lead on Lap 1, and he continues to be pure consistency.
Russell is fourth in the driver’s standings and looks primed to stay there by just finishing in the top five every race.
Kimi Antonelli had a nice race, but suffered from bad safety car luck before having to retire with a technical issue. The 18-year-old Italian hosted his classmates for a field trip visit to Imola on Thursday.
Isaac Hadjar and Yuki Tsunoda fought hard for the final points in P9 and P10.
Hadjar continues to outperform teammate Liam Lawson and looks comfortable fighting hard for points in the midfield. He’s having a great rookie season.
Yuki suffered a scary crash in qualifying on Thursday, but bounced back with a solid performance to rise from a pit lane, last place start to finish P10.
